Shingles: The Symptoms And Complications Of The Chicken Pox

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Many people can remember a time when they were a little kid and tiny little red bumps began to form on different locations of their skin. The small bumps began to spread and began to itch. Remembering the pink color of the calamine lotion that was used to soothe the itching sensation, realizing that these bumps were chicken pox. It is common knowledge that once a person contracts chicken pox and the outbreak clears up, the person will not get an outbreak again. Yet there are unknown complications that may develop later in life from having the chicken pox. Herpes zoster, or commonly known as Shingles, is one of these complications. Not only is this a very painful condition, but can lead to other complications as well (Sampathkumar, P., et al, 2009).
Shingles is a rash on the skin that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chicken pox. The rash is extremely painful and is accompanied with many additional symptoms. The first symptoms are located on one side of the body and include tingling, pain, or burning sensations around these areas. The second symptom of Shingles is a red rash that develops in patches on the skin. Finally the rash then develops into small blisters that end up bursting, drying out, and then flaking off. Other common symptoms include abdominal pain, general ill feeling, headaches, and joint pain (Sampathkumar, P., et al, 2009).
Chicken pox, or Varicella-Zoster, lies dormant in a person’s cerebral ganglia or in the ganglia of the posterior nerve roots after the person has an outbreak. Typically the virus will remain dormant for the rest of the person’s life, without a reoccurrence. Although there are instances when the virus will “awaken” or become active again,...

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...ifetime. Post-herpetic neuralgia is less common, and it is not completely understood why someone would develop this condition after an outbreak of Shingles. Doctors believe that there could be as little as 1 out of 1,000 people that will develop post-herpetic neuralgia (Mayo Clinic, 2010).
As of today, there is yet to be a cure for both Shingles and Post-herpetic neuralgia. The only available treatments to date are pain management, steroidal creams, and the person’s ability to manage stress and illness. There is a Shingles vaccination that is available at most local pharmacies, yet this vaccine is only recommended for people 60 years and older (Center for Disease Control, 2009). Until a cure, or more effective treatment is discovered, many people will continue to suffer with the pain that is associated with both Shingles and Post-herpetic neuralgia.

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