Shingles is a viral and contagious type of dermatologic infection that causes painful skin rashes that often look like blisters. It is caused by a widely known virus type, Varicella Zoster, which also causes chickenpox.

Once entered the body, the shingles virus can remain inactive or become active and cause the disease. Activated shingles virus usually affects one area of the body, such as the face, chest, back, abdomen, and pelvis.

 

What are the symptoms of shingles?

Shingles symptoms can be listed as follows:

• Burning pain and tingling in the rash area
• Itching and stinging
• Local sensitivity
• Numbness in the affected area
• High fever and accompanying headache
• Feelings of burnout

Shingles manifests itself as a skin rash, 2 to 3 days after the onset of these symptoms. The redness of these wounds, which are initially rashy, is later replaced by crusted fluid-filled blisters and is painful. The rashes can last for 10 to 15 days but other symptoms may take much longer to fully recover.

 

Causes of shingles

People who have had chickenpox in the past are at higher risk of getting shingles. Shingles is caused when the inactive varicella virus becomes active in your body. The following people are more likely to suffer the disease:

• People aged 60 years and older
• Individuals experiencing physical and emotional stress
• HIV positive people
• Those who have undergone organ of bone marrow transplantation
• Those receiving immunosuppressive treatment

 

Can shingles be treated?

After the symptoms appear, you should consult a dermatologist immediately. Early intervention in the treatment of shingles is very important to control the pain.

Shingles treatment should be started within 3 days at the latest after the appearance of shingles rashes, and infected people should isolate themselves during the infectious period.

Shingles treatment is generally aimed at increasing the comfort of people and reducing the symptoms. A dermatologist should decide on the application of these medications. The use of antiseptic solutions is also recommended for the treatment of fluid-filled blisters caused by shingles. Cleaning the effected daily with warm water prevents secondary infection.

For shingles patients who experience severe pain and have difficulty sleeping at night, antidepressants can also be used. The medicines used to treat shingles are mostly taken orally. For people with a suppressed immune system, medicines can be administered intravenously. People may experience high fever as an effect of the infection, so antipyretics are also used during the treatment process.

In some 20% of people who have had the disease, the pain and tingling sensation may last for months or even years. This is called postherpetic neuralgia. Postherpetic neuralgia is also defined as burning and stinging pain that persists after itching and rashes have disappeared. Pain patches applied on the skin and different treatment methods that provide pain control can be applied.

 

How can I prevent shingles?

The best method of protection against shingles is vaccination. Especially people over the age of 60 are recommended to get one or 2 doses of vaccine according to the dermatologist’s recommendation. Vaccination is also very effective for those who have to live with immunocompromised people, or who have to come into contact with a large number of people due to their profession or lifestyle (e.g. medical teams, athletes, greeters). To reduce the risk of shingles, it is important not to share clothes, to pay attention to personal hygiene and to use common areas such as pools and saunas carefully.