Have you had chickenpox?
Are you over the age of 50?
If you answered "yes" to both questions, then you may be
among the nearly one million Americans who will develop shingles
over the next twelve months.
Why worry about it?
Herpes zoster or shingles, an outbreak of rash or blisters on the
skin, can be very painful. The rash and pain usually occur in a
band on one side of the body, or clustered on one side of the face.
How do you get it?
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same
virus that causes varicella or chickenpox in 95 percent of Americans
by age 18. Following a bout of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant,
or asleep in nerve tissues. However, in an estimated one out of
seven people over the course of an 85-year lifetime, the virus can
reappear as shingles.
Why not let shingles run its course?
In otherwise healthy individuals, shingles may disappear without
major consequence in two to four weeks. But the risk of complications
from shingles increases with age, weakened immunity (the body's
ability to ward off disease) and delay or lack of treatment.
Complications resulting from shingles include post-herpetic neuralgia
(PHN), which can cause debilitating pain lasting months or even
years. Many PHN sufferers are also prone to depression.
In addition to PHN, shingles can lead to other serious, acute or
chronic complications, including those affecting vision, muscle
function and the central nervous system.
The urgent need for increased research and education on chickenpox,
shingles and PHN led to the formation of the VZV Research Foundation
(VZVRF) in 1991, now the National Shingles Foundation (NSF). This publicly-supported charity serves as an important
information resource to thousands of VZV sufferers, their families
and their physicians. The Foundation also sponsors international
scientific conferences on VZV and awards research grants to study
the virus and to develop both new vaccines to prevent chickenpox
and shingles, and to seek out new treatments for PHN pain.
Herpes zoster or shingles has been plaguing man
since ancient times. In his book, SHINGLES AND PHN, Thomas Carl Thomsen
references an essay in the History of Medicine, which stated that
" 'Job was afflicted with a general eruption of sores, causing
great itching, severe pain, and discoloration of skin, and tending
to cause swelling of the eyelids and closure of the eyes.' A pretty
good description of...shingles affecting the (eye)."
According to the book, HERPES DISEASES AND YOUR HEALTH, by Dr.
Henry H. Balfour, Jr. and Ralph C. Heussner, the word shingles
is derived from the Latin word cingulum, meaning belt or girdle, and
referring to its girdlelike distribution on the body. Zoster
is the Greek word for belt.