{"id":654,"date":"2022-12-21T12:58:46","date_gmt":"2022-12-21T09:58:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medicinehospital.com.tr\/?p=654"},"modified":"2024-03-18T11:06:29","modified_gmt":"2024-03-18T11:06:29","slug":"shingles-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/shingles-disease\/","title":{"rendered":"Shingles Disease"},"content":{"rendered":"

Shingles<\/strong> is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It typically appears as a single strip of blistering rash that wraps around one side of your body, although it can occur anywhere on your body.<\/p>\n

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After having chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the nerve tissue near your spinal cord and brain. Years later, the virus can become reactivated and cause shingles.<\/p>\n

Shingles is not a life-threatening condition, but it can be extremely painful. Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles. Early treatment can help shorten the duration of the infection and reduce the likelihood of complications. The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia, which is a persistent pain that can occur after your blisters have cleared.<\/p>\n

What are the Symptoms of Shingles?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Symptoms of shingles typically affect only a small portion of one side of your body. These signs and symptoms may include:
\n\u2022 Pain, burning, tingling, or numbness
\n\u2022 Increased sensitivity to touch
\n\u2022 A red rash that develops several days after the pain begins
\n\u2022 Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
\n\u2022 Itching<\/p>\n

Less common symptoms may include:
\n\u2022 Fever
\n\u2022 Headache
\n\u2022 Light sensitivity
\n\u2022 Fatigue<\/p>\n

Pain is often the first symptom of shingles<\/strong> and can be intense for some individuals. Depending on the location of the pain, it can sometimes be mistaken for a sign of problems affecting the heart, lungs, or kidneys. Some individuals may experience shingles pain without developing a rash.<\/p>\n

Most commonly, the shingles rash develops as a single strip of blistering rash that wraps around one side of your torso. Occasionally, the shingles rash can occur around an eye or on one side of the neck or face.<\/p>\n

What Causes Shingles?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles. After recovering from chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in your nervous system for years.<\/p>\n

Eventually, it can become reactivated and travel along the nerves to your skin, causing shingles. However, not everyone who has had chickenpox will develop shingles.<\/p>\n

The exact cause of shingles is uncertain. However, it may be related to a decrease in immunity to infections as you age. Shingles is more commonly seen in older adults and individuals with weakened immune systems.<\/p>\n

Varicella-zoster is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses, which also includes the viruses that cause cold sores and genital herpes. That is why shingles is also known as herpes zoster. However, the virus that causes chickenpox and shingles is different from the virus responsible for a sexually transmitted infection known as herpes or genital herpes.<\/p>\n

Is Shingles Contagious?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

A person with shingles can pass the varicella-zoster virus to anyone who is not immune to chickenpox. This typically occurs through direct contact with the open sores of the shingles rash. Once infected, the person develops chickenpox but not shingles.<\/p>\n

Chickenpox can be dangerous for some individuals. While your shingles blisters are still oozing and have not yet crusted over, you are contagious and should avoid physical contact, particularly with individuals who have not had chickenpox or have not been vaccinated against it. This is especially important for individuals with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, and newborns.<\/p>\n

What are the Risk Factors for Shingles?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Anyone who has had chickenpox can develop shingles.<\/p>\n

Factors that can increase your risk of developing shingles include:
\n\u2022 Being over 50 years old. Shingles is most commonly seen in individuals over the age of 50, and the risk increases with age.
\n\u2022 Having certain diseases. Conditions that weaken your immune system, such as HIV\/AIDS and cancer, can increase your risk of shingles.
\n\u2022 Undergoing cancer treatments. Radiation or chemotherapy can decrease your resistance to diseases and trigger shingles.
\n\u2022 Taking certain medications. Medications designed to prevent organ rejection, such as those used for organ transplants, or long-term use of steroids like prednisone, can increase your risk of shingles.<\/p>\n

What are the Complications of Shingles?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Complications of shingles can include:
\n\u2022 Postherpetic neuralgia. For some individuals, shingles pain can persist long after the blisters have cleared. This condition is known as postherpetic neuralgia and occurs when damaged nerve fibers send mixed and exaggerated pain messages from your skin to your brain.
\n\u2022 Vision loss. Shingles around or in the eye (ophthalmic shingles) can cause painful eye infections that may result in vision loss.
\n\u2022 Neurological problems. Depending on which nerves are affected, shingles can lead to conditions such as brain inflammation (encephalitis), facial paralysis, or hearing or balance problems.
\n\u2022 Skin infections. If shingles blisters are not properly treated, bacterial skin infections may develop.<\/p>\n

How is Shingles Diagnosed?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Shingles is typically diagnosed based on the presence of a painful history in one side of your body, along with the appearance of a rash and blisters. Your doctor may also take a tissue scraping or blister culture to examine in the laboratory for the diagnosis of shingles.<\/p>\n

How is Shingles Treated?<\/strong><\/h3>\n

There is no cure for shingles, but prompt treatment with prescription antiviral drugs can speed healing and reduce the risk of complications. Shingles can cause severe pain, so your doctor may prescribe pain-relieving medications in pill or cream form to alleviate the symptoms.<\/p>\n

Shingles typically lasts two to six weeks. Most people experience shingles only once, but it is possible to have it multiple times.<\/p>\n

Home Care for Shingles<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Taking a cool bath or applying cold, wet compresses to your blisters can help relieve itching and pain. And if possible, try to reduce the amount of stress in your life.<\/p>\n

When Should I See a Doctor?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

If you suspect you have shingles, especially under the following circumstances, seek medical attention immediately:
\n\u2022 If pain and redness occur near an eye: Left untreated, this infection can lead to permanent eye damage.
\n\u2022 If you are 60 years old or older: Because age significantly increases your risk of complications.
\n\u2022 If you or someone in your family has a weakened immune system (due to cancer, medications, or chronic illness).
\n\u2022 If the rash is widespread and painful.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It typically appears as a single strip of blistering rash that wraps around one side of your body, although it can occur anywhere on your body. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. After having chickenpox, the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":25766,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-654","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-health-guide"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=654"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/654\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/25766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=654"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=654"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/atlasuniversitesihastanesi.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=654"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}