Shingles

By Jaime Morgan

What is it?!

• Shingles is also called herpes-zoster• It is a viral infection that lies dormant

for years in the dorsal root ganglia in sensory nerve cell bodies which run in the nervous system

• It is an aftermath of the chickenpox– It forms when virus particles are left in the

blood and settle into clusters of verve cells• It creates a rash on the outside of the

skin

More information regarding shingles

• Because the nervous system has a left and right side, shingles only appears on one side of the skin

• If a person has the chickenpox before the age of one, he or she is more susceptible to get shingles at a younger age.

• It most commonly occurs in older people because their immune system is weaker

What activates Shingles?

• Extreme temperature• STRESS• Poor diet • Radiation treatments for Cancer• Immune suppressive drugs• Age

Check out this video which shows a visual animation of

how shingles forms

http://www.icyou.com/topics/diseases-conditions/shingles-pathophysiology+

Refer to wikispaces page to see the video

Is Shingles contagious?!

YES, shingles is contagious to…- A person, usually a child, who has never

gotten the chickenpox vaccine or the chickenpox.- They can only catch chicken pox from direct

contact with the shingles sores.

- It is cannot be caught from being in the same room, because the virus is not normally in the lungs and therefore cannot spread via the surrounding air.

Symptoms• Burning or tingling pain and itching of

the skin in a particle spot on either side of the body

• Fluid-filled blisters which resemble acne

• The rash can be mild or very painful (usually in elders)

• Lesions can last from a few weeks to a few months depending on the person

Treatment

• Antiviral drugs are prescribed which make the rash subside and prevent reoccurring episodes.– The 3 most common being:

acyclovir, valacyclovir (prevent additional viral shedding), or famcyclovir (pain)

• Antibiotics that are applied directly to the skin

• Antidepressant medications• Anesthetics, such as

lidocaine, to numb the area• Anticonvulsant medications• Opioids, such as codeine• Very rare cases, surgical

treatment may be implemented– Cutting the nerves to block

pain

There is no formal treatment to get rid of shingles because it is a virus that remains

dormant in the nervous system.

Short Term- several weeks Long Term- ongoing for months and very painful (Postherpetic neuralgia)

Complications with Shingles

• Infection- the rash may become infected

• Scarring- very unlikely, but sometimes the blisters can leave scarring

• Eye ulceration and permanent scarring- cornea of the eye may become scarred which causes hazy vision and inflammation may occur

• Postherpetic neuralgia- result from nerve fiber damage

Prevention Techniques

• Chickenpox Vaccine– Immunization can protect children of 18

months to adolescence from getting chickenpox and later shingles.

• Shingles Vaccine– In May 2006, the FDA approved a vaccine

to prevent the shingles– It is given to people 60 years of age and

older who have already had the chickenpox

Why did I pick Shingles?!

• Personal Experience– I had shingles at the age of 15, my

sophomore year.– I had it on the right side of my face, in

my right eye, the area surrounding my right eye, and on my forehead

– I have permanent scarring in my right eye because of it which results in weaker vision

Some of the treatment/medications I used

• Oral Tablet– Valtrex and its generic form, which reduced

the risk of further infection

• Eye Ointment– For the first 2 weeks of having shingles, 2

times a day to keep the eye lubricated

• A variety of eye drops– Eye drops to help with eye pressure

(Combigan)– Steroidal drops to help with shingles flaring

back up and inflammation. i.e. Alrex (weaker steroid), Lotemax (stronger steroid)

Corneal Associates had to wean me off these eye drops and there was a lot of experimentation, since it is VERY rare for someone at such a young age to get it and none the less in the eye. Long Term effects are not available for a young teen on such types of eye drops

Sources

• http://quizlet.com/83685/physiology-chapter-6-starts-with-herpes-zostera-flash-cards/

• http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-topic-overview

• http://www.medicinenet.com/shingles/article.htm