In daily life, some people suddenly have pain in the lower back or chest and back on one side, or suddenly have pain in the head and face on one side, and they can't sleep at night. This was followed by a rash on the painful ** area, which appeared as small blisters piled together. When this happens, the common people will immediately think of "raw snake", "snake wrapped around the waist", "waist wrapped around the dragon" and so on, but these are just popular sayings from the folk. If you go to the department, the doctor will tell you that you have shingles.
The 72-hour period should be rushed.
What is shingles? Herpes zoster is a disease caused by varicella-zoster virus infection, which can damage the body's ** and peripheral nerves, and the cause of its occurrence is greatly related to the decline of immunity. Its main characteristics are: on one side of the head and face or on one side of the body ** there are small blisters piled together, accompanied by pain, pain can be manifested as tingling, electric shock-like pain, burning pain, etc., in fact, this nature is the manifestation of neuralgia.
It is worth mentioning that pain can manifest itself before the rash appears. Therefore, the first diagnosis of many patients is not to visit the ** department.
What should I do if I have shingles? It is necessary to seek medical attention in a timely manner in the ** department of a regular medical institution. The best time for shingles is as early as possible, within 72 hours (3 days), so once you find shingles, you should seek help from a doctor as soon as possible. The better the pain control in the acute phase, the faster the recovery from shingles and the lower the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia.
After the diagnosis of herpes zoster, the doctor will formulate a corresponding ** plan according to the individual. **The principles are mainly antiviral, nerve-nourishing, analgesic, etc. It will also be combined with some physical **, such as relieving pain and promoting blister scabbing through phototherapy of the affected area. When the patient has a large herpes zoster involvement and significant pain, the doctor will also recommend that the patient be hospitalized**, so that antivirals can be injected intravenously because the system** is more efficient. During hospitalization, some relevant examinations will be completed according to the needs of the condition.
It is contagious, so there is no need to avoid it.
Many people are concerned about the contagiousness of shingles, which is caused by a viral infection, and its causative agent is the varicella-zoster virus, which is contagious. Initial infection with the virus, known as chickenpox, is more common in children. After recovery, part of the virus is latent in the body, and when our body's immunity decreases, this part of the virus is activated again, and the onset of the disease becomes herpes zoster.
The varicella-zoster virus is mainly transmitted through direct contact or respiratory droplets, as follows:
Direct contact transmission: Direct contact with the blisters of a person with chickenpox or shingles, especially if the area is broken or seeping, may be infected with the virus.
Respiratory droplet transmission: The virus can be transmitted through respiratory droplets if you have face-to-face contact with someone who is infected or carrier.
Therefore, patients should avoid contact with people with weakened immunity, such as children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Diet is also a concern for many patients with herpes zoster, because herpes zoster is an infectious disease, not an allergic disease, so there is no need to blindly avoid it. On the contrary, strengthening the nutritional intake in the diet is conducive to the recovery of the disease, including staple foods, meat and eggs, aquatic products, vegetables and fruits. Relatively speaking, it is enough to avoid drinking alcohol and eating spicy and irritating foods as much as possible so as not to affect the resolution and healing of the rash.
In daily life, patients with herpes zoster should arrange their work and rest time reasonably, ensure adequate sleep, avoid fatigue, and keep their mood as comfortable as possible, so that the overall immunity can recover faster, which is helpful to the disease.
Can you still have shingles?
There used to be a saying that people who have had shingles can get long-term immunity and will not have another disease. Admittedly, it is true that most people fall into this category. However, we have also observed in actual clinical work that a small number of people who have had shingles will have recurrence, and the two episodes are often more than 5 years apart, and the location of the recurrence can be different from the last time. This condition mostly occurs in people with weakened immunity, such as the elderly, cancer patients, patients who have been using immunosuppressants for a long time, and so on. Therefore, it is possible for shingles to recur.
Is it also possible for shingles to heal on its own without **? Herpes zoster does have a certain degree of self-healing, even if it is not **, the blisters in the affected area will gradually fade, scab over, and fall off, and the rash can heal on its own after a period of time. Despite this, prompt medical attention is still recommended**. Because through early regulation**, the time to onset can be shortened, the degree of neuralgia can be reduced, and the chance of long-term post-neuralgia can be reduced. Therefore, shingles is to be seen in time**.
It is worth mentioning that shingles is preventable. Combining work and rest, exercising appropriately, and maintaining a good immune status are the keys to prevention. In addition, there is currently a herpes zoster vaccine on the market, which can reduce the risk of developing herpes zoster and reduce the symptoms of herpes zoster, and it is recommended that middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old get vaccinated.
With all that said, do you have a preliminary understanding of shingles? If you have the above symptoms, it is recommended to see a doctor in time, and the doctor will formulate an individualized plan according to your situation to help you reduce pain and recover as soon as possible. 72 hours is the best time to take medication for shingles, don't think about applying folk "home remedies" or "secret recipes" to solve it, so as not to delay the condition.
Text|Xiao Jieping.
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* |Yangcheng Evening News, Yangcheng faction editor-in-charge|Proofread by Gan Zhuoran |Li Songqing.