If there were ever a list of odd names for diseases, the shingles virus must certainly be on that list. The name of the disease conjures up an image of a person with carefully layered roofing materials growing out of his skin. In actuality, shingles, also known as the herpes zoster virus, is a very painful rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in younger people. If you’ve ever had the chickenpox, unfortunately you are now at risk for also contracting shingles. The risk for shingles also increases with age, with as many as one half of all adults contracting the shingles virus by the age of 80.
To see what the shingles virus really looks like, take a look at this page of photos from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) website. It is estimated that there are one million cases of shingles in the United States each year. For that reason, the CDC highly recommends the shingles vaccine for everyone age 60 and over, regardless of whether or not they previously had chickenpox. Viewing the photos on the CDC website is one way to encourage people to get a shingles vaccine to prevent this unsightly and often quite painful disease.
How do you know if someone has shingles?
An older adult might have shingles if he or she had chickenpox as a child, young adult, or at any time in the past, and now has developed a rash of liquid filled blisters on the skin. Although the blisters almost always occur on only one side of the body, they can be distributed in patches or form a continuous band. The rash ranges from irritating or itchy to extremely painful and typically lasts up to 30 days. For most people, the pain associated with the rash lessens as it begins to heal. Additional symptoms can include fever, headache, nausea and chills.
One can also get other complications from having had the shingles virus. If shingles occurs on the face, it might affect one’s eyes and vision. The most common complication of shingles is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). PHN is characterized by persistent, lingering pain in the area where the rash once was that can last for weeks, months, and sometimes even years after the rash is gone.
One cannot pass shingles on to another person; however, a person with active shingles can transmit the virus to someone who has never had chickenpox—causing that person to come down with the chickenpox virus. The virus is spread through direct contact with fluid from the rash blisters, not through sneezing or coughing, and a person is not contagious before the blisters appear or after the blisters have developed crusts.
At Independence-4-Seniors, we can help to encourage and facilitate proper vaccinations as a part of healthy aging at home. To learn more about our home care services in DuPage county or to schedule a free in-home assessment, contact us online or call us at 630-323-4665.