Issue Date: July 22, 2007
Signs of shingles
The virus that causes chicken pox can produce a lot of pain.
Approximately 500,000 Americans get shingles each year.
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Anyone who has ever suffered from a bout of shingles knows what an effect it can have on your life. I had a spell of it a few years back. Like many who get it, at first, I did not realize what it was. I thought I had poison ivy until the area developed the characteristic blisters, and it clicked --I had shingles. Fortunately, my caseresponded nicely to treatment, and I haven't experienced a recurrence since. But some of the approximately 500,000 Americans who get shingles each year aren't as lucky as I was.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that produces chicken pox in children. This virus lies dormant in the nerve roots of the central nervous system long after the chicken pox resolves. In some people, it flares up to cause shingles. The symptoms can vary, but the typical sequence is a sensitivity to light, headache, flu-like symptoms and a stinging, burning or pain sensation. The pain usually is localized to one side of the body. Skin becomes exceedingly sensitive in the affected areas, and blister-like spots appear. Over the next few days, the discomfort starts to lessen.
If you recognize the symptoms in the first few days, prescription medications generally can shorten the course and reduce its severity. For most people who get shingles, that's the end of the story. But as many as 20% have post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) and experience pain that lasts for months or even years. Luckily, medications can decrease the pain, and research is ongoing.
Contributing Editor Tedd Mitchell, M.D., president and medical director of Dallas' Cooper Clinic, writes HealthSmart every week.
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