Where the shingles come from?

Shingle is a viral infection provoked by the varicella-zoster virus. Varicella or chickenpox is caused by the same virus. Varicella itself is an acute and highly contagious disease. The transmission occurs via droplets, aerosol or direct contact. Once you have it, the varicella-zoster stays inactive in the nerve tissue for years. Suddenly, it may appear as shingles. 

The best way to prevent spreading of varicella-zoster virus is vaccination. Vaccination is the most simple way to prevent yourself from getting fatal or harmful diseases. Vaccines train your immune system to create antibodies, just as it does when it’s exposed to a disease.

What are shingles symptoms?

The infection appears as a stripe of blisters. Although it may occur anywhere on your body, it is often located on the right or left part of the torso. Normally the shingles start with pain and the red rash may appear only 5 days after.

The most common symptoms include itching, sensitivity to touch, burning & numbness. Fluid-filled blisters occur and after some time they break open and crust over. Rarely, but some people may experience fever, fatigue, sensitivity to light & headache.

Who is at risk for shingles?

• The risk of getting shingles increases with the age. As does the risk to get complications from the disease. The older the patient is, the more severe are the symptoms. It is most common in people over 50 years old. The vaccination starts at this age. 

• If you have a disease that weakens your immune system you have a higher risk of getting shingles. It may be cancer, AIDS, HIV, or undergoing cancer treatment. 

• If you use steroids like prednisone, it may increase the risk of getting shingles. As well as if you are taking medication to prevent transplantation complications.

It is not certain but other factors such as stress, physical trauma, radiation, or another infection may trigger the zoster virus. 

Facts about shingles vaccination

There is no better way to protect yourself from shingles than vaccination. In their lifetime almost one in three people will develop shingles. A British rock star Billy Idol has spoken about his bad experience with herpes zoster. An American actress, comedian, and writer Roseanne Barr reported that the pain she felt because of the virus was worse than childbirth.

Vaccination normally reduces the risk of having a zoster virus. Even if you have had shingles before, you can still get a vaccine to help prevent future occurrences of the disease. Healthy people above 50 years old should get two doses of vaccine separated by 2 to 6 months. There is no maximum age to be vaccinated for shingles.

The protection from shingles for vaccinated people lasts for 5 years and should be repeated. The recently implemented shingles vaccine is a recombinant type and it is reported to have 90% prevention effectiveness. 

Possible vaccination side effects.

Large-scale vaccination is a quite safe way to prevent shingles. However, there are possible side effects. Some people report mild problems such as redness, swelling, itching, or soreness in the area of skin where they were injected, with fewer headaches.

Some serious side effects of the vaccine may occur in case you are allergic to one or more components of it. In the case of having one of the below-mentioned reactions, you need to seek medical help immediately. 

• face swelling, including mouth, neck, and eyes,
• irregular heartbeat or rapid pulse,
• warmth or redness of the skin,
• trouble breathing or wheezing,
• dizziness,
• hives.

You should not get vaccinated for shingles if:

• You had a severe reaction to the first dose of the Shingrix vaccine.
• You have a severe allergy to one of the components of the vaccine.
• You had shingles recently.
• You are pregnant or breastfeeding.
• You have negative test results for the zoster virus .

Shingles treatment options

If after all, you get shingles, it should be treated promptly. If not treated, the virus can cause complications such as postherpetic neuralgia. It causes long-lasting pains even with no blisters. To avoid complications, the treatment should be initiated as soon as the virus is identified.

Several antiviral medicines — acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir — are available to treat shingles and shorten the length and the severity of the illness. In combination with medication, Low-Level Laser Therapy (LLLT) can accelerate the healing.

You will need about 15 sessions with the RANKEL Smart Life LLLT device carefully following the instructions concerning the area of exposure and frequency. Based on the advice of your GP, you can repeat the sessions.