| Shingles and Family Heredity |
| Written by Barbara Messner | |
About ShinglesShingles is a disease you can get if you’ve had Chickenpox. If you are sixty and over, you’re increasing age makes you more prone to the disease. But it can strike anyone. Shingles symptoms include flu-like aches and pains. Severe pain is a symptom, as are the telltale small blisters or a rash. This disease is highly contagious until the rash and/or watery blisters scab over. The pain of Shingles can last long after the rash disappears. You can get Shingles more than once.Talk to your doctor if you think you have Shingles, it’s important to do so within 72 hours of getting symptoms. There are regular medicines available and natural treatments that can be recommended. Everyone’s story and symptoms are different. Family LegacyIf any of your family members have had Shingles it puts you at a greater risk of getting them yourself. Scientists are finding that your Family History is a huge factor in determining your risk of getting the Shingles disease. The closer on the family tree the relative is to you, the larger the factor of course. But even if your third cousin once removed has had Shingles, Doctors are saying your chances are double that of someone whose relatives have not had them. If your Mom, Dad or Sibling have had Shingles your risk is even greater.The Numbers MatterThe more relatives who’ve had Shingles, no matter how they are blood-related to you, the more risk you are in. The research done on this has shown undeniable evidence of a link between family history and a person’s chances of getting, or not getting, the Shingles.HistoryHerpes Zoster or Shingles has a long history in itself. It was known before the 18th century but the blisters were not being distinguished from the blisters of Smallpox and other similar diseases. It wasn’t until towards the end of the 18th century that Herpes Zoster was recognized as a different disease from Smallpox. Then it took another century to separate it from the other look a-like similarities.It was the beginning of the 20th century before Shingles was found to be associated with Chickenpox. Unbelievably, Shingles was thought to be a very mild disease without serious complication until the 1940’s. The disease continued to be studied and it was in the 1950’s that Herpes Zoster, or Shingles, was fully recognized to be a major disease form with possible serious complications. At that time the search for therapeutic and preventative medicines began. It was also discovered that the incidences of Shingles advanced with age. Rather than the young being the target group, as with Chickenpox, it is the older section of the population that needs to be protected from Shingles. VaccineBut it has taken from the 1950’s to 2006 to get a vaccine developed that has the ability of even reducing the chances of an outbreak of Shingles. The vaccine will not prevent the disease, but it will reduce the chance of getting it by about 50%, and may lessen the severity of the symptoms. There are many questions that need to be answered before you can qualify for the vaccine, and it isn’t covered by most insurance companies. With the cost of the vaccine over $200 this is an issue. But if Shingles runs in your family make sure your doctor knows this. Get information on the vaccine and make an informed decision. It will be a few years yet before we have enough data about the vaccine to know how effective it really is.Chickenpox VaccineIf you have children or grandchildren and you know that Shingles runs in the family, make sure your entire family is aware of this history. There is a Chickenpox vaccine that is highly effective. You can’t get Shingles if you haven’t had Chickenpox.Knowledge is PowerThe strangest thing about Shingles, in my mind anyway, is the lack of knowledge the general public has about the disease. It’s amazing the number of people that have never heard of it, or have no idea what it is or what it can do.This is insane when you consider that two out of every ten people will get Shingles at some point in their lives and the number seems to be growing. A depleted immune system and high levels of stress are said to be contributors to the reason people get the disease. Complications from Shingles can include blindness, brain problems that include Alzheimer like symptoms and even death. Have you had Chickenpox? Has anyone in your family had Shingles? Ask. |
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