Chicken pox can be a whole lot of no fun for a kid. Anywhere from 5 to 10 days of itchy rash, fever and headache is common, with maybe some scars that they carry into adulthood. But when the same virus that causes chicken pox hangs around the body into adulthood, it can return with a vengeance, causing much more aggravating and sometimes long-lasting symptoms.
The virus is called varicella (you could almost name a child after it) zoster. After a case of chicken pox resolves, the virus hides out, lying dormant in the nerve tissue near the spinal cord or the brain. It can remain there well into adulthood. In fact, most cases of shingles occur after the age of 50. If the virus gets awakened, the result is shingles.
Medical science can find no clear evidence that explains why the virus reactivates, when and in whom. Some research indicates that a weakened immune system (possibly due to HIV infection, chemotherapy treatment or a chronic illness) or stress can be a factor in the reemergence of the virus.
When varicella zoster returns, the symptoms are usually dramatic. They begin with a tingling, numbness or pain in one distinct area of the body, most often the torso. The reason for this distribution is that the virus affects only the nerve where it has been hiding out, so the symptoms show up on the skin along that particular nerve pathway.
A few days after the pain begins, an itchy rash develops in the same area, often wrapping around one side of the body in a stripe-like pattern. The rash soon blisters and after 3-5 weeks will crust over. Symptoms like a fever, chills, body aches, headache and fatigue can accompany the rash and pain.
Most people know that the chicken pox virus is extremely contagious. This is no different when it reappears as shingles. However, when the varicella zoster virus is passed to someone who is not immune to chicken pox, the illness shows up as chicken pox, not shingles. The shingles patient is contagious until the blisters crust over, so care should be taken if one is around those who are pregnant or have lowered immunity and newborns, for whom chicken pox can be disastrous.
As if those symptoms mentioned above weren’t enough, shingles can have some serious complications. One of the most distressing is postherpetic neuralgia, which is pain in the affected area that lasts long after the rash disappears, sometimes months to years. If shingles develops on the face near the eye, the infection can lead to blindness. Inflammation of the brain, paralysis of the face or hearing or balance issues can also be problems that result from this viral infection.
Chicken pox can be a whole lot of no fun for a kid. Anywhere from 5 to 10 days of itchy rash, fever and headache is common, with maybe some scars that they carry into adulthood. But when the same virus that causes chicken pox hangs around the body into adulthood, it can return with a vengeance, causing much more aggravating and sometimes long-lasting symptoms.
The virus is called varicella (you could almost name a child after it) zoster. After a case of chicken pox resolves, the virus hides out, lying dormant in the nerve tissue near the spinal cord or the brain. It can remain there well into adulthood. In fact, most cases of shingles occur after the age of 50. If the virus gets awakened, the result is shingles.
Medical science can find no clear evidence that explains why the virus reactivates, when and in whom. Some research indicates that a weakened immune system (possibly due to HIV infection, chemotherapy treatment or a chronic illness) or stress can be a factor in the reemergence of the virus.
When varicella zoster returns, the symptoms are usually dramatic. They begin with a tingling, numbness or pain in one distinct area of the body, most often the torso. The reason for this distribution is that the virus affects only the nerve where it has been hiding out, so the symptoms show up on the skin along that particular nerve pathway.
A few days after the pain begins, an itchy rash develops in the same area, often wrapping around one side of the body in a stripe-like pattern. The rash soon blisters and after 3-5 weeks will crust over. Symptoms like a fever, chills, body aches, headache and fatigue can accompany the rash and pain.
Most people know that the chicken pox virus is extremely contagious. This is no different when it reappears as shingles. However, when the varicella zoster virus is passed to someone who is not immune to chicken pox, the illness shows up as chicken pox, not shingles. The shingles patient is contagious until the blisters crust over, so care should be taken if one is around those who are pregnant or have lowered immunity and newborns, for whom chicken pox can be disastrous.
As if those symptoms mentioned above weren’t enough, shingles can have some serious complications. One of the most distressing is postherpetic neuralgia, which is pain in the affected area that lasts long after the rash disappears, sometimes months to years. If shingles develops on the face near the eye, the infection can lead to blindness. Inflammation of the brain, paralysis of the face or hearing or balance issues can also be problems that result from this viral infection.
If you suspect that you might have shingles, the sooner you can get to your health care provider, the better. Antiviral drugs can be prescribed but are most effective if started within the first few days of the symptoms’ onset. You may also need pain medication, and there are some creams and gels available that may calm the rash and lessen the pain. Cool, wet compresses placed over the affected area may also help in alleviating the pain.
There are two vaccines that may be helpful in preventing an outbreak of shingles. The first is the chicken pox vaccine. It is now given fairly routinely to children along with the other childhood immunizations. If a child never gets chicken pox, there is no virus to lie dormant and rear its ugly head later in life as shingles. It is not a sure bet, though it may help reduce the severity of symptoms if the illness appears.
A second vaccine that may help prevent an outbreak of shingles is one that is given to those over the age of 60. This one is specifically targeted towards shingles. There is no guarantee that those who receive the vaccine will not get shingles but it can make the disease milder and help prevent the complications mentioned previously.
Once a person has chicken pox, they usually do not get it again. Unfortunately, that is not the case with shingles. A recurrence is possible, though not likely. The vaccination is recommended even for those who have had one outbreak because it may help prevent further episodes of the illness.
A local physician has noticed a tenfold increase in shingles over the past 4-6 weeks in his practice. There is no real explanation for this spike in cases, but it certainly may be the spark that gets more folks to have the shingles vaccine soon. If this is something you have ever experienced for yourself or have watched a loved one go through it, I suspect you will be first in line for that vaccine.
Pam Maxson is a health educator at Noyes Hospital in Dansville. If you have questions or suggestions for future articles, she can be reached at pmaxson@noyes-hospital.org or 585-335-4327.
