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HEADACHES, OTHER INFECTIONS: HERPES ZOSTER (SHINGLES)ChickenpOX Is an almost universal childhood disease characterised by blistery spots scattered all over the body. These are often exceptionally uncomfortable, especially where they occur in the throat, ears and other orifices. Other than this, chicken pox is usually a relatively benign illness, with few side-effects. However, after the infection is over, the chickenpox virus lodges in the ends of the nerves near the skin. Many years later these viruses can re-activate and when they do they form the condition called shingles. Shingles produces much the same sort of crusty abrasions as chicken pox, except that whereas chickenpox occurs over the whole body, shingles occurs only along the distribution of one single spinal nerve. So, typically, the little marks of shingles will appear in a band or a patch round the trunk; or down the arm; or over the buttock; or down the leg. Occasionally, the nerve affected is the one which supplies the forehead region, or alternatively the eye itself. Shingles here can cause severe head pain. Although chickenpox and shingles are essentially the same virus, the infections themselves couldn’t be more different. Whereas chickenpox is usually a mild infection leaving no after-effects, shingles can be a very nasty infection indeed. For a start, it’s painful; and what’s more the pain of shingles can continue for years in the area of skin supplied by the nerve that has been affected. Secondly, although chickenpox is a disease of the young, shingles generally affects those who are older, and those whose immune system isn’t working properly (the ‘immunocompromised’). This included sufferers from AIDS, and those who are on certain types of medication such as for cancer. Shingles has been very aptly described as ‘a belt of roses from Hell’. The pain of shingles doesn’t have to persist afterwards, but in a good proportion of cases it does. Shingles can be very unpleasant, but fortunately we have a number of drugs that can counteract it. The secret of good treatment is to use these drugs as soon as the condition is diagnosed, and to make sure that the treatment is fully carried out. The less that the virus in the nerve endings is allowed to proliferate, the less pain will occur in the future. One of the classic places for shingles lo occur is over the forehead and around the eye. It starts with an odd sensation in the skin over one side of the forehead and scalp, which then gradually turns into pain, but at this stage there is nothing to be seen and both doctor and patient may wonder what is happening, or where the severe pain is coming from. Then the skin lesions begin to come out – typically, little cyst-like blebs which soon crust over. The blebs can be few in number, but in severe cases they can cover the whole area supplied by the affected nerve, and so one side of the forehead can become a mass of ulcerated abrasions. Typically, new crops of blebs appear each day while the older ones start to crust over. Eventually, no more new vesicles are formed, and the crusts finally drop off, often leaving skin which is red, peeling and very tender to the touch. The skin symptoms of pain and sensitivity may persist some time after its colour and consistency have gone back to normal. Even if you don’t get post-infection pain, shingles is a very debilitating disease and it may take three months before you feel back to normal. *36\20\2* Related Posts:Tags: Pain Relief Leave OneYou must be logged in to post a comment. |
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