Shingles Disease: Who Might Get It
Article by Chris Cornell
The shingles disease is a medical condition where blisters develop on skin and are painful. It is also known as Herpes Zoster as it is caused by a virus called Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV), which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. If a person has had chickenpox during their childhood, they would have the highest risk to develop shingles, as the virus remains in the body despite recovery from its symptoms. Thus, shingles can also be considered as a chickenpox that revisits, usually under certain conditions, such as feeling stressed, or damaged immune system. It is much more painful than chickenpox, as the pain still persists despite recovering from the blisters.
There are several shingles disease symptoms. A patient may have fever for four to five days and experience persistent headaches, feel sudden chills, feel physically fatigued, have problems with the digestive system, feel itchy at the areas where the rash is starting to develop at or will develop onto, and small painful blisters develop on their skin that looks like a band. Of the shingles disease symptoms, the blister that lines from the spine to the chest is most distinctive, helping them with the diagnosis.
The groups of people at risk are those who have recovered from chicken pox, the elderly, patients diseases that damage the immune system like AIDS and cancer, and patients undergoing extensive medication which includes immunosuppressive drugs. Nevertheless, it is contagious through direct contact of the open wounds, rash, or blister of a shingles patient with a person whom has never had chickenpox before. The most contagious stage of the disease is when the blisters are filled with clear liquid, and its crusts have not developed. However, a person cannot develop the disease through informal contact with a patient with shingles, such as when the patient sneezes or coughs while the healthy person is within the vicinity.
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