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If you have had chicken pox before then you should be interested in discovering what a shingles symptom is like. You might just develop the condition yourself, in which case, you would want to detect it early through tell tale shingles symptoms.
What Is Shingles?
Shingles is medically known as herpes zoster. It is considered related to chicken pox because people who have had chicken pox have a higher risk of later developing a shingles symptom. This is because people who have experienced chicken pox never really get rid of the virus completely. The chicken pox virus, varicella zoster stays in the body in a dormant state. The elderly and those who are immunocompromised are usually the ones who suffer from a shingles symptom and not children or young adults.
In old people, shingles may lead to neuralgia. This is characterized by chronic pain that can go on for many years. It is usually caused by swollen nerve endings that result in sensations of pain in the soft tissues.
Why The Elderly are at Risk
Children and adults who have not been vaccinated against chicken pox may of course get sick with it. Once young people recover from chicken pox, the immune system works to stop the virus from becoming active again. The elderly despite have weaker immune systems which is why they have a higher risk of experiencing shingles symptoms than younger people. Immunocompromised individuals as well as those who experience extreme stress or a weakening of the immune system are also at risk of suffering from shingles symptoms.
Symptoms
Experts say that the common first shingles symptom is a sensation of pain. Later on, one or two red rashes that increase in number will begin to form. These rashes will then develop into blisters with fluid inside. This usually appears only on one side of the torso or face. This is because the sleeping virus is found only in a single nerve fiber that can affect only one part of the body.
Aside from the pain and the obvious rashes, flu like sensations and pain may also be experienced. You may there before experience fever and fatigue. Some individual may also experience stomach complaints as a shingles symptom. In general, you will feel sick.
What to Do
You should see a doctor as soon as possible when you first experience shingles symptoms or when the pain persists long after the disappearance of the blisters. Your doctor may prescribe anti viral medicines and may give you the go signal to use an analgesic or antibiotic. You should also ask about over the counter medication for shingles since the available available may only be effectively applied when the rashes or blisters are gone.
One other thing that you should remember is that exposed and fresh blisters may result in the transmission of the virus to those who have never had chicken pox and have never been vaccinated. This means that children in particular may be at most risk. It would be a good idea to cover the blisters and keep away from children.
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Source by Randy Minor
