Herpes Zoster - Symptoms & Treatment

Shingles is not a new infection, it is rather, a second outbreak of the chicken pox virus. Herpes Zoster is also known as Shinglesgets, its name from both Latin and French words for belt, or girdle, and refers to girdle-like skin eruptions on the trunk. Shingles is primarily a disease of the elderly, but it can occasionally affect young individuals also Herpes Zoster commonly known as shingles, is caused by the same virus responsible for chicken pox.

Herpes zoster is an localized infection with varicella-zoster virus, which causes a painful, blistering rash. Shingles results from reactivation of the chicken-pox virus that remained in your body since you had chicken pox--perhaps many years. Herpes Zoster begins as a rash that lead to blisters and sores on the skin.

Symptoms of Herpes Zoster

The Symptoms of Herpes Zoster are listed below:

Warning symptoms of unilateral (on one side) pain, tingling, or burning sensation limited to a specific part of the body -- pain and burning sensation may be intense. Reddening of the skin (erythema) followed by the appearance of blisters (vesicles) Many patients mistakenly believe that nervousness causes shingles. this is wrong; shingles is a viral infection of a nerve and has nothing to do with being nervous. Grouped, dense, deep, small blisters that ooze and crust

Causes of Herpes Zoster

The causes of Herpes Zoster are as follows:

• Involvement of the facial nerve may cause Ramsay Hunt syndrome with facial paralysis, hearing loss, loss of taste in half of the tongue and skin lesions around the ear and ear canal. Shingles may, on occasion, involve the genitals or upper leg.
• After infection with chickenpox, the virus resides in a non-active state in the nerve tracts that emerge from the spine. When it is re-activated, it spreads along the nerve tract, first causing pain or a burning sensation.
• Usually the cause is a decrease in your body's natural resistance, which may come through other infections, stress, being generally run

Home Treatment and other treatment options for Herpes Zoster

Many patients have experienced success with natural treatments such as Shingles No More and other shingles solutions. Even taking acyclovir may not eliminate discomfort, burning sensations, or pain. If the discomfort is mild, take Tylenol or a similar mild painkiller. If you have too much pain, we can order a prescription painkiller to take until the pain subsides. The pain is caused by inflammation of a nerve. Cortisone taken by mouth is sometimes used in treating the nerve inflammation. Later, when the crusts and scabs are separating, your skin may become dry, tense, and cracked. If that happens, rub on a small amount of white petrolatum (plain Vaseline) three or four times a day.