The Herpes Zoster Virus

Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus. This is the same virus responsible for causing chickenpox were children. When the majority of people have recovered from the chicken pox virus become inactive, but in some people the virus reactivates itself, usually in a few years later, the first person by chickenpox.

Although herpes zoster is a contagious infection, it can not be transmitted touching infected.

No one knows what causes herpes zoster virus restart itself, in some individuals, they all know that is what will happen to it, has been contracted chickenpox, and the whole process occurred prior to the individual contracts herpes zoster. After the individual (usually the children), by the varicella-zoster virus spread to nerve root, and become inactive. When individual contracts watts, it's because the virus has "regained consciousness" and to the nerve root, up to the skin.

People are the most vulnerable to herpes zoster on the elderly and the immune deficiency (which can be caused by chemotherapy, HIV). However, the vast majority of people, people catch up with this infection is a normal immune system.

Now let us look at the symptoms of herpes zoster: the initial indicators that activation of herpes zoster virus, is a sense of urgency surrounding nerve path, as the virus through. Individual, and then feel pain, usually on the side of the body. Pain can affect various body parts, but it depends on the status of paths that the virus is through.

Under an onset of symptoms is a rash consisting of micro-red blisters. Skin rash around has become swollen. The patient will develop a fever, and that he will become the lymph node swelling.

After 3-5 days, blisters rupture and become painful sores. In the next week or so, these scab over a wound and, ultimately, loss.

Some people may experience of postherpetic neuralgia, which is when the skin becomes very painful, has been shedding scabs. This unpleasant symptoms can continue to three weeks to a few months.

If you are above any of the symptoms, you should go to see your doctor, the doctor could be easily diagnosed this condition by the presence of the rash, and you look at the medical records. If symptoms are displayed, are not conclusive enough for a doctor herpes, and then scratch test or blood test can be used to accurately diagnose the disease.

If the diagnosis of herpes zoster is the doctor to prescribe anti-viral drugs, such as zovirax or acyclovir. These types of drugs is the most effective when they are used to sense when the burning started. Become less effective treatment, if it is used more than 48 hours after the rash appeared. So time is the most important aspect in the treatment of herpes zoster. If the drug is taken early, and then patients can be expected to leave faster infection, infection will not spread.