China Pain Relief Week: Middle-aged and elderly people are more susceptible to pain from herpes zoster, experts recommend vaccination for proactive prevention

The third Monday of October every year is "World Pain Relief Day". The Chinese Pain Society has designated the week of World Pain Relief Day as "China Pain Relief Week". More than 300 million people in my country are suffering from chronic pain, including neck, shoulder, waist and leg pain, neuralgia, cancer pain, soft tissue pain, etc. Among them, pain related to herpes zoster is also very common. Experts call on the public to pay attention to active prevention. Vaccination is currently recognized as one of the effective prevention methods.

Most people are potential patients, and some have had pain for 20 years.

According to He Ruilin, director of the Pain Management Department of the Second Affiliated Hospital of Guangxi Medical University, herpes zoster is an infectious skin disease caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus when the body's resistance is reduced.

Photo caption: Director He Ruilin explains the prevention knowledge of shingles.

According to serological studies, more than 95% of people over the age of 50 are positive for varicella-zoster virus antibodies. This means that more than 95% of people are potential victims of shingles, and chickenpox is also caused by it. Once this virus is active, it will cause unbearable pain and unbearable suffering.

In China, the number of people over 50 years old who are newly diagnosed with shingles is about 1.56 million each year. "The incidence rate of people over 50 years old is much higher than that of young people. The older you are, the more likely you are to get sick, and the more serious the condition is."

He Ruilin introduced that pain is the main symptom of herpes zoster and can last throughout the entire course of herpes zoster. Postherpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of herpes zoster, and patients may experience pain like burning, electric shock, knife cutting, needle pricking, and tearing.

Data shows that 30% to 50% of patients with postherpetic neuralgia suffer from pain that lasts for more than a year, and some suffer from pain for 10 years or longer. Among the patients He Ruilin has treated, one suffered from neuralgia that lasted for 20 years. "The patient was in so much pain that he wanted to bang his head against the wall."

Prevention is better than cure, we must learn to take the initiative to prevent

"I told you to pay attention to prevention, but you didn't listen. Now you are in pain and have to spend a lot of money on treatment." Nanning resident Ms. Chen's husband recently "got the prize" and got shingles. It was so painful that he grimaced. Due to his old age and other chronic diseases, the treatment cost nearly 20,000 yuan. The husband regretted it very much. He should have listened to his wife and taken the initiative to prevent the disease by getting vaccinated.

Although current treatments such as antiviral drugs, analgesics and glucocorticoids can fight herpes zoster, their effectiveness against postherpetic neuralgia is still limited. Therefore, prevention is particularly important for middle-aged and elderly people facing the health threat of herpes zoster.

He Ruilin pointed out that maintaining a healthy lifestyle in daily life, such as a balanced diet, moderate exercise, and adequate sleep, are all effective ways to reduce the risk of disease. In addition, vaccination is also an important measure for middle-aged and elderly people to prevent herpes zoster. Currently, the National Health Commission explicitly recommends that the elderly be vaccinated with herpes zoster vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, and influenza vaccine.

The risks of chronic disease population are superimposed, and vaccination is recommended for middle-aged and elderly people

As middle-aged and elderly people age, their immune function declines, and age factors and chronic disease factors will jointly increase the risk of herpes zoster. Bai Huihua, deputy director of Fenglin Community Health Service Center in Qingxiu District, Nanning City, said that herpes zoster in patients with chronic diseases will affect the management of chronic diseases. Some patients with chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular and respiratory diseases will feel more pain after suffering from herpes zoster. Once people with chronic diseases are infected, it may lead to worsening of the original chronic disease, clinical adverse health outcomes and even increased risk of death. Therefore, the elderly, especially those with chronic diseases, need to actively prevent herpes zoster through vaccination.

Caption: Bai Huihua is educating citizens about shingles.

Vaccination is one of the most cost-effective means to improve the disease prevention ability and immunity of the middle-aged and elderly. However, many middle-aged and elderly people currently lack awareness of proactive prevention. Some of them do not know that infectious diseases such as herpes zoster can be prevented by vaccines. They lack understanding of the disease itself and the corresponding prevention methods, and have certain misunderstandings about the necessity and safety of vaccination.

Bai Huihua pointed out that in the outpatient clinic, many middle-aged and elderly people believe that they cannot be vaccinated if they have chronic diseases. "On the contrary, the resistance of patients with chronic diseases is low, and their risk of contracting infectious diseases such as herpes zoster is increased. Therefore, our country has proposed in many chronic disease guidelines that middle-aged and elderly people, especially those with chronic diseases, should pay more attention to vaccination and strengthen active prevention." In fact, chronic diseases are not contraindications to vaccination. Friends in this group should take the initiative to communicate with professional doctors and scientifically grasp the timing of vaccination under the guidance of doctors.

References:

[1] China Pain Medicine Development Report (2020)

[2] Zhao Xingwang, Chen Congcong. Clinical manifestations and treatment of postherpetic neuralgia[J]. Chinese and Foreign Medical Treatment, 2009, 28(1): 30-31.

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