Friday, February 8, 2013
How Is Shingles Treated?
How is shingles treated?
Shingles is treated with medicines. These medicines include antiviral medicines and medicines for pain.
Starting antiviral medicine right away can help your rash heal faster and be less painful. So if you think you may have shingles, see your doctor right away.
Good home care also can help you feel better faster. Take care of any skin sores, and keep them clean. Take your medicines as directed. If you are bothered by pain, tell your doctor. He or she may write a prescription for pain medicine or suggest an over-the-counter pain medicine.
CDC Urges People 60+ to Get One-Time Shingles Shot
People 60 and older should get a one-time shingles shot that can help prevent the painful rash, U.S. health officials are recommending.
There's a 50-50 chance the shot will prevent shingles for those 60 and up, though the odds get worse the older you get. But shingles can be severe for some people, and the government believes it's worth the $160-per-dose cost.
We ask Fox News Medical Contributor, Dr. Marc Siegel, about some frequently asked questions regarding shingles and the vaccine. Q: If I've had chicken pox can I still get shingles? A: Yes - in fact, shingles is reactivation of the same virus that causes chicken pox. IF you HAVEN"T had chicken pox, then you don't get shingles, but adult chicken pox which is a diffuse rash.
Q: Who is at risk for shingles? A: Anyone who has had chicken pox is at risk. But we are especially concerned for elderly or those with chronic diseases.
Q: How can you get shingles? A: You don't actually "get" shingles. It is the reactivation of a virus that is lying dormant in your body since when you had chicken pox.
Q: Can you get shingles more than once?A: Yes - you can have it several times.
Q: Can the vaccine be given to someone who has already had shingles? A: Yes it can be - the CDC is currently testing its effectiveness in this regard, but it is believed to be effective.
Q: Does the vaccine have any side effects? A: Malaise, flu like symptoms, local eruption, same as other common vaccines - nothing long term or significant
Q: What are the long term effects of shingles if not treated?A: It may go completely away, but it can also cause post herpetic neuralgia (significant pain syndrome) in the region, or if on the face, can effect the eye or vision.
Q: How is shingles treated?A: Can't be cured, but symptoms can be lessened with acyclovir (products Famvir, Valtrex, Zovirax), and sometimes local lidocaine patch can reduce pain.
Shingles is caused by the Herpes Zoster virus (the same that causes chicken pox). Dr. Siegel says that the vaccine is effective in 50% and lasts for 4 years.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2008/05/16/cdc-urges-people-time-shingles-shot/?#ixzz2JuMYodFc
Shingles Can Strike More Than Once
The long-held notion that people can only get shingles once in their lives appears to be false, The Wall Street Journal reported Tuesday, citing a study in the journal Mayo Clinic Proceedings this month.
It is estimated that one in three Americans will get shingles at some point, with one million new cases reported a year in the U.S. It typically starts with itching, tingling or numbness, then develops into a painful rash that blisters.
The CDC has urged all Americans age 60 and older to get the shingles vaccine -- whether they have had shingles or not. Merck & Co., the only company that makes it, has encountered frequent supply problems since the vaccine was approved in 2006.
Shingles is caused by the Varicella zoster virus, or VZV, the same virus that causes chicken pox, and it only strikes people who have had chicken pox in the past. Like other herpes viruses, VZV never fully leaves peoples' bodies. It can lie dormant for decades in the nerve roots in the spinal column, until it suddenly replicates and travels down the nerves to cause shingles.
Exactly what prompts the virus to wake up is unknown, but it seems to occur when the immune system, which has kept it in check for years, becomes weakened due to age, illness or treatments such as chemotherapy. Emotional stress can cause recurrences of other herpes viruses, and the CDC is investigating whether it can spark shingles as well.
For the new study on shingles recurrence, researchers at the Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn., examined medical records of nearly 1,700 patients who had a documented case of shingles between 1996 and 2001. They found that more than five percent of them were treated for a second episode within an average of eight years -- about the same rate as would typically experience a first case.
That a recurrence is so common is more of a surprise to virologists and other scientists than primary-care physicians, who have seen it in their practices, says Barbara Yawn, director of research at the Olmsted center and the study's lead author. "I've gotten calls and e-mails from some saying, 'Thank you. Now they will believe us.'"
It is possible that some subgroups of the virus are more prone to recurrence, says Yawn. In their next study, her team is monitoring new episodes of shingles and the CDC will analyze samples of those that recur to look for genetic patterns.
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2011/02/22/study-shingles-strike/?#ixzz2JuM2jTy3
What Are The Symptoms
Shingles symptoms happen in stages. At first you may have a headache or be sensitive to light. You may also feel like you have the flu but not have a fever.
Later, you may feel itching, tingling, or pain in a certain area. That's where a band, strip, or small area of rash may occur a few days later. The rash turns into clusters of blisters. The blisters fill with fluid and then crust over. It takes 2 to 4 weeks for the blisters to heal, and they may leave scars. Some people only get a mild rash, and some do not get a rash at all.
It's possible that you could also feel dizzy or weak, or you could have long-term pain or a rash on your face, changes in your vision, changes in how well you can think, or a rash that spreads. If you have any of these problems from shingles, call your doctor right away.
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