Expert in this issue: Fu Rong, deputy chief physician of the Department of Venereal Diseases, East Hospital, Beijing University of Chinese Medicine.
Herpes zoster, also known as "snake around the waist", "snake around the waist", "snake disc sore", is an acute **infectious disease caused by varicella-zoster virus. In addition to the waist, it can also occur on the chest and back, face, neck, and limbs, and half of the body can appear in a band-like distribution of **herpes, from the appearance, like a snake entrenched on the **, hence the name. Why is shingles called an immortal cancer? People with underlying diseases, weakened immunity and the elderly are prone to post-encapsulated neuralgia if they suffer from this disease and are not treated in time or inappropriately. This type of nerve pain is likely to stay with the patient for years or even a lifetime, seriously affecting the patient's quality of life, hence the name "immortal cancer".
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The virus is neurophilic and can remain dormant in neurons in the posterior root ganglia of spinal nerves for long periods of time after infection. When the resistance is low or tired, infected, cold, the virus can grow and multiply again and move along the nerve fibers to **, so that the invaded nerves and ** produce strong inflammation.
Generally speaking, the incubation period of shingles is 7-14 days, and the incubation period of each person is not necessarily related to the strength of personal immunity. The varicella-zoster virus is very widespread in nature, and normal** has established an immune barrier against this virus, and when the body's immunity is weakened, this barrier is broken, resulting in the onset of the disease. Generally speaking, patients infected with herpes zoster virus with strong body immunity have a long incubation period, and patients with weak body immunity have a corresponding shortening of the incubation period, and general systemic manifestations such as fever, fatigue, and loss of appetite may occur during the incubation period, and some patients are also accompanied by symptoms such as joint pain. Prodromal symptoms appear 1-2 days before the onset of the disease, such as itching or burning, stinging, etc., followed by a red maculopapular rash on the affected area, which quickly becomes papules and quickly turns into blisters, blood blisters or pustules. Lesions are banded along a peripheral nerve, most commonly along the intercostal, cervical, trigeminal, and lumbosacral nerves. After the blisters burst, erosions or ulcers are formed, and the skin lesions are often accompanied by varying degrees of itching or burning, and some patients have severe pain. Of course, there are also cases where the blisters are not obvious, or even have no skin lesions, only pain.
In addition to skin lesions, neuralgia is the most feared symptom for patients. This pain can occur before, during, or after the rash has healed, and the pain is dull, throbbing, often accompanied by a burning sensation, and some are manifested as severe knife-like and over-electric pain, which is unbearable. Most people will gradually lose their pain after a correct and effective treatment, but a significant percentage of patients will have pain that lasts for a long time. Postherpetic neuralgia refers to the pain that lasts for more than a month after clinical **, and is one of the intractable pain diseases that plague middle-aged and elderly patients. The duration of pain can be as short as 1 to 2 years, and even more than 10 years in the elderly, and the general history is as long as 3-5 years. It is a more severe intractable pain, the clinical manifestations are characterized by hypersensitivity to pain, and the pain of the patient is often manifested as spontaneous lightning or tearing pain, and the attack is often accompanied by restlessness in sleep, which seriously affects the quality of life of the patient.
Who is at high risk of shingles?
1) Middle-aged and elderly people aged 50 and above: Herpes zoster can occur at any age, and advanced age is the biggest risk factor. As we age, our body's resistance to the varicella-zoster virus becomes weaker.
2) People with a history of chronic disease: Compared with the general population, patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of developing herpes zoster.
3) People with weakened immune system: such as immune system diseases, cancer patients, and patients using immunosuppressive drugs.
4) Nervous and nervous factors such as nervousness, tiredness, anxious fire, insomnia, anxiety, and stress can also induce this disease.
How to actively prevent shingles and stay away from the "pain of skin cutting"?
1) Try to avoid contact with sick people: patients with herpes zoster should take contact isolation measures, and patients with chickenpox and disseminated herpes zoster should take respiratory isolation measures until the rash is all scabbed. (2) Timely medical treatment and **: Many patients have postherpetic neuralgia precisely because they missed the best time. At present, there is no specific drug for herpes zoster, but through drugs**, such as antiviral drugs, nutritional neurodrugs, analgesic drugs and topical drugs, etc., it can shorten the course of the disease, improve pain symptoms, and prevent infection.
3) Improve autoimmunity: the improvement of autoimmunity of susceptible people aged 50 and above is the basic preventive measure: for middle-aged and elderly people, it is necessary to pay attention to the balanced combination of nutrition, choose fresh fruits, vegetables and fish, meat, eggs, milk and other high-quality protein diet; Avoid staying up late and overwork, work and rest regularly, and ensure adequate sleep; Maintain a good attitude, combine work and rest, and avoid mental tension, anxiety, etc.
4) Vaccination with herpes zoster vaccine: People aged 50 and above are recommended to receive recombinant herpes zoster vaccine, which can effectively protect after two doses (2-6 months apart). Seniors over the age of 50 can make an appointment at the nearest community health service center with their ID card.