Staying Up Late and Anxiety May Trigger This Skin Condition: Extremely Painful and Contagious!

There is a type of skin disease that can cause intolerable pain, even causing people to suffer sleepless nights, and this pain can last for a few weeks, or even months or years, and this is shingles.

When we had chickenpox as children, our bodies became infected with the varicella-zoster virus, after the symptoms of chickenpox disappeared, the virus did not disappear, it stayed in the spinal nerve roots, staying in the body for a long time.
In adulthood,the virus sometimes becomes active again due to decreased immunity
(such as anxiety, stress and other emotional issues, or lack of sleep, staying up late and other scheduling issues that can lead to low immunity) and then becomes active again. This time, the varicella-zoster virus reappears in the form of shingles.

Shingles

This is a viral infection that causes painful rashes or blisters on the skin. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus as chickenpox. The most common manifestation of the rash is a series of painful rashes or blisters on a part of the body. It is also known as “waist-entwining dragon” or “snake sores”, and once contracted, the pain is unbearable and sleepless at night.

What are the characteristics of shingles?

Before the rash appears, there may be systemic symptoms such as fatigue, low fever, and loss of appetite, and the affected skin may feel burning or painful, which can be dull, throbbing, or stabbing pain, and the pain may intensify when touching the skin.

The skin usually presents with erythema first, followed by papules on the erythema, which quickly turn into vesicles. The vesicle walls are tense and shiny, with clear vesicular fluid and a surrounding erythematous halo. The skin between the vesicle groups is normal,
distributed in a band-like pattern, mostly on one side of the body, and generally does not cross the midline of the body.

Shingles

It is most commonly seen on the chest, abdomen, head and face, and the waist and back, and can also occur on the limbs. Shingles on the eye can affect vision if not treated in time.

Young people with good immunity, usually have a milder condition, and the course of the disease is generally 2-3 weeks. The rash will gradually dry up and scab over, and generally no scars are left after the scabs fall off, but there may be temporary erythema or pigmentation.

Older people or those with low immunity, may have a more severe condition and are prone to complications of bacterial infections, leading to delayed healing of the rash. The varicella-zoster virus can invade the nerves, and when the neuritis is severe and cannot be repaired on its own in the short term, postherpetic neuralgia will occur, the pain can last for months or even years. There may also be meningitis, encephalitis and other neurological complications, but they are relatively rare.

Who is more likely to get shingles?

Those more likely to develop shingles include:

Immunosuppression(such as cancer patients, AIDS patients, organ transplant patients, or patients undergoing chemotherapy).

People over 50 years old.

Experiencing significant trauma that may be psychological or physical.Anxiety, stress, and staying up late may trigger shingles, mainly because these factors can lead to decreased immunity, thereby reactivating the varicella-zoster virus
(VZV) that is dormant in the body.

Long-term medication(e.g., immunosuppressants),mechanical trauma, etc., may also trigger the outbreak of the virus.

If you have shingles,

will you definitely have the typical rash?

The diagnosis of shingles without a rash can be difficult, and there are mainly these situations:

Zoster sine herpete: Some people do not develop a rash, only neuralgia;

Abortive herpes zoster: Some people do not develop vesicles, only erythema and papules appear and then subside;

Disseminated herpes zoster: Some people may experience viral spread, with chickenpox-like rashes appearing on other parts of the body.

If you have any other symptoms of shingles, including itching, pain, erythema, etc., distributed along one side of the body, please go to a doctor as soon as possible. For shingles, you can take effective treatment methods early on, early treatment will reduce nerve damage, reduce the extent, severity, and pain of the rash. Even if you do not have shingles, seeing a doctor will help you diagnose and treat your condition.

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Is shingles contagious?

Patients with shingles cannot spread shingles to another person, but they can spread chickenpox. The varicella-zoster virus is transmitted through direct skin contact with the fluid from the vesicles, viral droplets, or aerosols from the respiratory tract.

Shingles rarely spreads like airborne viruses by inhaling the varicella-zoster virus. If your rash is in the vesicular stage, please stay away from people who have not had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine and cover your rash.

However, it is fortunate that the chickenpox vaccine can be administered post-exposure. If there are children in the home who have not been vaccinated against chickenpox, it is recommended to vaccinate with the chickenpox vaccine within 5 days of exposure, provided there are no contraindications.

How long are you contagious if you have shingles?

If you have shingles, before the rash is dry and scabbed over, you are contagious. The varicella-zoster virus can only cause chickenpox in people who have never had chickenpox or have not been vaccinated against chickenpox.

How is shingles treated?

Antiviral medications are the main drugs used, which can alleviate discomfort, stop symptoms more quickly, especially when taken within 72 hours of the first signs of shingles. They can also help prevent pain that may occur months and years later, known as postherpetic neuralgia.

These medications include: Acyclovir(Zovirax®), Famciclovir(Famvir®), and Valacyclovir
(Valtrex®), the specific dosage of the medication depends on the situation,early and adequate medication is one of the important principles of treatment.

If the pain is significant, over-the-counter pain relievers will also be used,non-prescription pain medications, these drugs may effectively relieve pain: Acetaminophen(Tylenol®) or Ibuprofen(Motrin®, Advil®), etc.

If bacterial infection occurs due to shingles rash, the doctor may prescribe antibiotics.

If shingles affect the eyes or other parts of the face, anti-inflammatory drugs such as Prednisone may be prescribed.

Is there a vaccine to prevent shingles?

Yes, there is a vaccine that can prevent shingles.

Since age is an important risk factor for shingles,people over 50 years old are at increased risk of infection with the varicella-zoster virus due to decreased immunity, have a higher probability of developing shingles, and are more likely to have complications such as postherpetic neuralgia, so this group of people is suitable for vaccination.
For more details, see the article “Shingles vaccine is finally available! People over 50 can be vaccinated”.

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