What is herpes zoster
Herpes zoster is an acute infectious skin disease caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), commonly known as "snake wrapped around the waist" or "waist wrapped dragon". The virus usually manifests as chickenpox during initial infection. After recovery, the virus remains latent in the ganglia and may reactivate when immunity declines, causing herpes zoster. The following is a compilation of hot topics and hot content about shingles on the Internet in the past 10 days.
1. Symptoms and manifestations of herpes zoster
| symptom | describe |
|---|---|
| rash | Red maculopapular rash distributed along the ganglia, gradually developing into blisters |
| pain | Burning, stinging, or electric shock-like pain that may last for months (postherpetic neuralgia) |
| Other symptoms | Fever, fatigue, headache and other general discomfort |
2. Causes of Herpes Zoster and High-Risk Groups
The onset of herpes zoster is closely related to reduced immunity, and the following groups are at higher risk:
| high risk groups | reason |
|---|---|
| Middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old | Immunity declines with age |
| Chronic disease patients | Diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure affect the immune system |
| People who are stressed or tired | Long-term stress reduces immunity |
| Immunodeficiency patients | HIV/AIDS, cancer chemotherapy, etc. |
3. Treatment and Prevention of Herpes Zoster
At present, the treatment of herpes zoster is mainly based on antiviral drugs and symptomatic treatment, while prevention is mainly through vaccination:
| Treatment/prevention methods | illustrate |
|---|---|
| antiviral drugs | Acyclovir, valacyclovir, etc., need to be used within 72 hours of onset of illness |
| pain medication | Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or nerve pain medications |
| Shingles vaccine | Recombinant herpes zoster vaccines (such as Shingrix) significantly reduce the risk of developing the disease |
4. Hot topics and discussions in the past 10 days
1.“Is the shingles vaccine necessary?”: Discussions on the effectiveness of vaccines and the age of vaccination have increased recently on social media, and experts recommend vaccination for people over 50 years old.
2.“How to relieve postherpetic neuralgia?”: Many patients shared their experiences and mentioned auxiliary methods such as traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture, and physical therapy.
3.“Shingles cases rising in young people”: Due to lifestyle problems such as staying up late and being stressed, the rising incidence rate among people aged 20-40 has caused concern.
5. Summary
Shingles is a preventable but overlooked disease whose pain and sequelae can seriously affect quality of life. Through vaccination, healthy lifestyle and timely treatment, the risk of disease and complications can be effectively reduced. If you have suspected symptoms, it is recommended to seek medical advice as soon as possible.
check the details
check the details
en
