Medical Edge Newspaper Column

Shingles

Sept. 24, 2006
READERS:
If you've had chickenpox, you may be at risk of shingles -- a painful skin disease that can lead to serious health complications.

Shingles is most common in adults between the ages of 60 and 80, in part because aging can affect the body's ability to fight off infections. Shingles is a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox and remains in your nerve tissue.

You should see your doctor immediately if you suspect shingles. The earliest warning signs and symptoms are a burning, tingling, or numbness in your skin and a red rash that follows a nerve pathway around one side of your face or body.

Within a week, the rash turns into fluid-filled blisters. Even after the blisters dry up -- usually in one to two weeks -- pain can persist and be severe. In some cases, the blisters can become infected and cause skin scarring. Blisters near the eye can cause lasting damage or blindness. Other problems may include hearing loss or brief facial paralysis.

Although there is no cure, prompt treatment with antiviral medications can reduce the disease's severity and complications. These drugs may also reduce the painful aftereffects of shingles -- a condition known as post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN can cause sharp, throbbing, aching or stabbing pain long after the shingles rash has healed. Other drugs that may be used for shingles or PHN include corticosteroids, antidepressants, anticonvulsants, and topical skin creams or patches containing a local anesthetic.