SHINGLES
: HERPES ZOSTER
Herpes
zoster (or zoster), commonly known as shingles, is a viral disease characterised
by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area on one side of the body.
It is caused by varicella zoster virus (VZV), which is also the virus that causes
chickenpox. After a chickenpox infection the virus can lodge permanently in
ganglionic neurons, and less frequently in non-neuronal satellite cells, without
causing any symptoms,[although the mechanism is not understood. In an immunocompromised
individual, perhaps years or decades after a chickenpox infection, the virus
may break out of nerve cell bodies and travel down nerve axons to cause viral
infection of the skin in the region of the nerve. The nerve cell bodies of dorsal
root, cranial nerve or autonomic ganglion may contain the latent virus, and
the virus may spread from one or more ganglia along nerves of an affected segment
and infect the corresponding dermatome causing a rash, often referred to as
shingles.Although the rash usually heals within two to four weeks, some sufferers
experience residual nerve pain for months or years, a condition called postherpetic
neuralgia.
Throughout
the world the incidence rate of herpes zoster ranges from 1.2 to 3.4 per 1,000
person-years among healthy individuals, increasing to 3.9–11.8 per 1,000 person‐years
among those older than 65 years.Antiviral drug treatment can reduce the severity
and duration of herpes zoster when a seven to ten day course is started within
72 hours of the appearance of the characteristic rash.(1)
source
: wikipedia
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