Grandma Wang, 65 years old, had some small rashes on her skin a few days ago, which were bright red in color and accompanied by a strong itching sensation. Grandma Wang didn't pay much attention to it at first, thinking it was just an ordinary skin allergy, so she applied some anti-allergic ointment by herself.
A few days passed, and the condition of these small rashes did not improve, but became more severe.
They began to become painful, as if they had been burned by fire, and it was difficult for Grandma Wang to sleep. To make matters worse, blisters have gradually appeared on these rashes, some of which have burst and leaked cloudy fluid. Grandma Wang realized that the situation was not good and rushed to the hospital for treatment.
The doctor listened carefully to Grandma Wang's medical history and symptoms, and asked her about the progress of her condition. Doctors then found that the rashes were banded along the nerves and had typical neuralgia symptoms. And there was cloudy fluid in the blisters on her body, which is typical of shingles.
To confirm the diagnosis, the doctor scraped the bottom of the blister, found multinucleated giant cells and intranuclear inclusions in the microscopic smear, and performed a PCR test of VZV-DNA in the blood, which was positive, indicating the possibility of shingles, which further confirmed the doctor's diagnosis.
The doctor also performed a skin biopsy to see if there were signs of viral infection, and also used electromyography to examine her nervous system in detail to assess the extent of the damage to the nerve fibers caused by the virus, and the results showed that the intercostal nerves were damaged.
To treat Grandma Wang's shingles, the doctor prescribed antiviral drugs to relieve her condition, as well as painkillers and anti-allergy drugs to relieve neuralgia and itching and improve her quality of life.
Under the careful treatment of the doctors, Grandma Wang's condition was gradually controlled, the small rashes and blisters gradually subsided, and the pain was significantly reduced.
Grandma Wang's experience tells us that the elderly must strengthen exercise and maintain a healthy lifestyle on weekdays to improve their own immunity and avoid the occurrence of shingles.
If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from shingles, do not worry too much, see a doctor in time, and take medication under the guidance of a doctor. Let's take a look at the symptoms of shingles.
1. What are the symptoms of shingles?
Herpes zoster is a common skin disease that causes pain in addition to skin damage. The main cause of shingles is the varicella-zoster virus, which usually lurks in the body's nerve cells, and when the body's immunity is weakened, the virus may be activated and spread along the nerve fibers to the skin, causing shingles.
It begins as a skin change that begins with erythema on one side of the body (usually on the chest, waist, abdomen, or face) and then rapidly progresses to clusters of herpes that follow peripheral nerves in bands.
Herpes vary in size, the walls of the blisters are tense and shiny, and there is clear blister fluid inside, and after a while, the herpes begins to burst and form an erosion, and eventually the original blister will dry and crust, and the crust will fall off to leave a brief erythema or slight pigment change.
During the spread of the herpes zoster virus, it finds our nerve fibers and disrupts the structure and function of the nerve fibers in the body. When nerve fibers are attacked, pain signals may continue to be transmitted or strengthened. This can lead to pain sensations that persist, intensify, and even develop different manifestations of pain, such as stinging and burning.
In addition, the inflammatory response triggered by shingles is also an important cause of pain. When the virus invades the skin, it triggers a series of immune responses, releasing a large number of inflammatory cells and mediators. These inflammatory cells and mediators attack nerve endings, producing the sensation of pain. At the same time, inflammation can also worsen the damage to nerve fibers, further exacerbating pain.
In addition, the psychological state of the person with shingles can also have an impact on the perception of pain. Because the pain of shingles is often intense and long-lasting, patients are prone to negative emotions such as anxiety and depression. These negative emotions can also amplify the pain sensation and enter a vicious cycle.
Antiviral drugs can inhibit the replication and transmission of the virus, and are key drugs to reduce inflammation and damage to nerve fibers. When it comes to medications, let's talk about what kind of medicine is good to use quickly after getting shingles.
2. After getting shingles, what kind of medicine can be used to get better?
After having shingles, many patients are anxious to find a treatment that can be cured quickly, and the key to treatment is to inhibit the replication of the virus, reduce symptoms, promote the healing of herpes, and prevent complications.
In terms of drug treatment, because shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus and is latent in the ganglia, antiviral drugs are at the heart of shingles treatment.
These drugs block the replication of the virus at the source. Commonly used antiviral drugs include acyclovir, valacyclovir, etc.
They are administered orally or intravenously and are able to quickly reach effective concentrations that have an inhibitory effect on the virus.
However, it should be noted that antiviral drugs cannot immediately eliminate herpes, because it takes a certain amount of time for the absorption and healing of blisters, and the main role of antiviral drugs is to shorten the course of the disease, reduce painful symptoms, and reduce the risk of complications, which cannot have an immediate effect.
In addition to antiviral medications, some adjunctive medications can also help relieve the symptoms of shingles.
For example, painkillers can be used to relieve pain caused by shingles, anti-inflammatory drugs can reduce inflammation around shingles, and topical medications such as antiviral creams can promote dryness and crusting of herpes on the skin. The use of these adjunctive drugs should be determined according to the specific situation of the patient and the advice of the doctor.
In addition, patients should also pay attention to adhering to good lifestyle habits while using medication. Getting enough sleep, exercising outdoors, and eating a balanced diet can all help boost immunity and promote herpes recovery.
Finally, it is important to emphasize that each patient is different in their specific situation, so when using drugs for herpes zoster, the principle of individualization should be followed. Patients should choose the medication and dosage that is suitable for them under the guidance of a doctor and use it strictly according to the doctor's instructions. Do not buy and use medication on your own to avoid delaying the condition or causing unnecessary side effects. Herpes zoster, a common skin disease, is not irregular, so let's talk about which types of people are more likely to get shingles?
3. The doctor reminds: If you have shingles, these 3 types of people should be careful
1. People with weak immunity
Human immunity is the last line of defense to protect us, but when people with weak immunity are infected with the herpes zoster virus, the virus is often able to evade the immune system's clearance and multiply in the body. This can cause the virus to spread along nerve fibers to the skin, creating typical shingles symptoms such as pain, itching, and blisters.
In addition, due to weak immunity, these people may also have more serious complications after contracting herpes zoster, such as neurological infection, pneumonia, etc. Due to the decline in physical function of this population, the immune system's defense ability is weakened, which gives the virus a chance to take advantage of it. Moreover, after the initial infection, the herpes zoster virus will be latent in the body, and when the immunity is weakened, it will become active again and cause shingles.
2. People who are stressed and often lack sleep
Stress can lead to an imbalance in hormone production in the body, such as adrenaline and other stress hormones in order to adapt to a high-pressure environment. Long-term secretion of these hormones can negatively affect the immune system.
For example, prolonged stress in the body will inhibit the activity of immune cells, reduce their ability to recognize and eliminate viruses, and make it easier for viruses to multiply in the body.
Lack of sleep can lead to a decrease in the function of immune cells, while poor eating habits may cause the body to lack essential nutrients, which can affect the normal functioning of the immune system.
Therefore, those who have a high level of work pressure and a fast pace of life, as well as those who have been in negative emotions such as anxiety and depression for a long time, are also more likely to develop shingles. Therefore, we should pay attention to our lifestyle and mental health, and maintain a good immunity to resist the invasion of the virus.
3. Seniors
As they age, the immune system function of older people usually declines naturally, i.e., their immunity decreases, which makes them less resistant to various pathogens, and when the immune system is unable to effectively suppress the virus, the virus can become active and cause illness.
Many older people also have a variety of chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory disease, etc., which affect the normal function of the immune system and increase the risk of shingles.
In summary, the reason why shingles causes pain is the result of the combined effect of many factors such as the destruction of nerve fibers by the virus, the stimulation of inflammatory responses, and the influence of the patient's psychological state.
Therefore, in the treatment of shingles, it is necessary to use antiviral drugs, antihistamines and some auxiliary drugs used to relieve itching under the guidance of a doctor, and pay attention to maintaining good lifestyle habits and mentality.
People with low immunity, people with high mental stress and the elderly are the most common people for shingles, and we can prevent it in advance through scientific and reasonable treatment and lifestyle adjustment.
bibliography
[1] Review of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of herpes zoster, China Vaccines and Immunization, 2023.02.26
[2] Analysis of the epidemiological characteristics of the first case of herpes zoster in Changping District, Beijing in 2021, Bulletin of Disease Control and Prevention, November 10, 2023
[3] Study on the association between chickenpox epidemic and herpes zoster in a district of Beijing, Journal of Tropical Medicine, 2023.05.28
[4] Pharmaceutical monitoring of patients with herpes zoster neuralgia using pregabalin-induced myoclonus, Chinese Pharmacovigilance, December 28, 2020
[5] For those over 50 years old, it is recommended to get the herpes zoster vaccine "Family Medicine, Happy Health" 2023.08.15
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