What Is Shingles Disease And How To Treat It?

The shingles disease is one that causes an intense, painful rash that can be found on various parts of the body. Those that experience this disease often will need to seek out medical attention because the rash can be very painful and often causes a number of other health risks over time. The disease is also known as herpes zoster. In either case, the condition is one that needs medical attention to be minimized to a livable condition. Because of the complexity of the shingles disease, it is often advisable that if you believe that you do have the disease to seek out medical attention.

What Is It?

The shingles disease is characterized as a rash that appears on the body as a band. The band wraps around the body from the back along one side and up, towards the breastbone. The rash is often found on other locations of the body as well, but the distinct band is almost always found. The pain from the shingles disease is very intense, often considered to be one of the worst types of pain. More so, the pain itself may happen prior to the occurrence of the rash, which may leave individuals very discouraged and worried. The rash then appears within a few days at most. The rash often has blisters throughout. This often is an easy to diagnosis condition for doctors once these symptoms appear.

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. That is the Varicella zoster virus. Individuals that have had chicken pox do not get rid of the virus. Rather, it lies dormant in the body for many years. In many cases, it is never experienced again. In some individuals, the disease does show up again. In some individuals that were exposed to the virus but did not have any signs or symptoms of it at the time, the virus may have still been contracted and may later express itself as the shingles disease. The disease is not life threatening, though it can lead to complications such as infection if left untreated.

In some cases, though rare, the shingles disease leads to post herpetic neuralgia. In this condition, the skin becomes very sensitive to being touched and stays painful even though the rash itself has cleared up. It can last from a few months or even several years after having the shingles disease.

Symptoms To Monitor For

In most cases, individuals do not know that they have the virus that leads to shingles until it is present on them. The first symptom of the shingles disease, most often, is a pain and burning of the skin. The skin becomes sensitive to touch and may also tingle. This is usually a localized condition where later the rash will present itself. The rash is usually following the onset of pain by one to more days. It is comprised of blisters that have a fluid filled top to them. These will break open. In most cases, they will then crust over and heal. They remain very painful and often are accompanied by intense itching. Additional symptoms of the shingles disease include fevers and chills, the onset of headaches, as well as abdominal pain and discomfort.

The symptoms of the shingles disease almost always occur on just one side of the body. Doctors realize this is a tell tale sign of the disease. The band that is created is actually the path that the nerve follows. This nerve is where the shingles virus has been hidden since it was contracted. In some cases, the shingles rash can be found over one of the eyes or even on one side of the face or neck. In most cases, the rash is similar to that of chicken pox, but with the band of infection rather than a wide spread condition.

Treatment For The Shingles Disease

If you believe that you have the shingles disease, it is likely that you are experiencing the pain associated with it as well as the rash that coincides with it. IF this is the case, it is important to seek out medical attention so that you can overcome the painful scenario associated with the prolonged condition.

You may not have an intense case, in which the shingles disease will heal and go away on its own. This usually takes several weeks to happen. Even still, it is beneficial that you seek out treatment as soon as possible when the disease first hits so that you can minimize the pain that is likely to follow. In addition, medications and treatment methods can be helpful in healing the condition faster. More so, you are less likely to experience complications to the disease if you receive proper treatment for the condition.

The treatment for the shingles disease will include several things. First, your doctor is likely to give you antiviral medications. These are effective are reducing the severity of the symptoms that you have. High doses of medications such as acyclovir, valcyclovir and famciclovir are often used. Next, your doctor is likely to give you another medication to help with inflammation. These anti inflammatory medications include coriticosteroids. This medication also helps you to avoid the complications often associated with the disease. IN addition, the doctor will often tell patients to take pain relievers to help with relieving the pain associated with the shingles disease. Prescription medications may be used to help with intense pain.

Individuals are at a higher risk of contracting the shingles disease if they have had the chicken pox disease or they have been exposed to it. Yet, the shingles disease often is evident in those older than 60 years of age. Also, if you have a weakened immune system due to the HIV or AIDs virus, are getting chemotherapy or those that have had other immune weakening diseases are also more likely to contract the disease.

If you believe that you could have the shingles disease, contact your doctor today to monitor the condition and reduce the amount of time you suffer.

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