Shingles: Extensive Clinical Presentation of Herpes Zoster Infection
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3329/bjo.v22i2.45103Keywords:
postherpetic neuralgia, Antiviral medicationsAbstract
Shingles, also known as zoster, herpes zoster, or zona, is a viral disease characterized by painful skin rash with blisters.Typically the rash occurs on either side of face in a single stripe. Two to four days before the rash occurs there may be pain or tingling in the area. The rash usually heals within two to four weeks.Ongoing nerve pain may last for months or years,condition called postherpetic neuralgia. In those with poor immune function the rash may occur widely. If the rash involves the eye, vision loss may occur. Shingles is due to a reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) within body. Chickenpox is due to an initial infection with VZV. Once chickenpox has resolved, the virus may remain inactive in nerve cells. Risk factors for reactivation include older age, poor immune function, and having had chickenpox before 18 months of age. Diagnosis is typically based on signs and symptoms. The shingles vaccine decreases the chance of shingles by about half in those between the ages of 50 and 80. It also decreases rates of postherpetic neuralgia. Antiviral medications such as aciclovir can reduce the severity and duration of disease if started within 72 hours of the appearance of the rash. NSAIDs or opioids may be used to help with the acute pain.It is estimated that about a third of people develop shingles at some point in their life. children may also get the disease. The number of new cases per year ranges from 1.2–3.4 per 1,000.
Bangladesh J Otorhinolaryngol; October 2016; 22(2): 122-125
Downloads
77
44
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Manuscripts submitted for publication in the Bangladesh Journal of Otorhinolaryngology must not have been previously submitted or published. Accepted papers become the permanent property of the Bangladesh Journal of Otorhinolaryngology. By submitting a manuscript, the authors(s) agree that copyrights for their articles are automatically transferred to Bangladesh Journal of Otorhinolaryngology, if and when the articles are accepted for publication.
The use, in this journal, of registered trade names, trade marks, etc. without special acknowledgement does not imply that such names, as defined by the relevant protection laws, be regarded as unprotected, and, thus, free for general use.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).