More painful than a burn or a needle prick? More and more people are suffering from shingles...

Some people can't sleep in the middle of the night and hide under the quilt to secretly wipe away their tears. It doesn't necessarily mean that they have encountered some setbacks in life.

Maybe it was just because he…had shingles.

Herpes zoster, an infectious disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, often occurs on the chest, back, neck, head, face, and lumbar region. It is commonly known as "snake around the waist, fire around the waist". The main skin lesions are erythema and clustered blisters distributed on one side of the body, and the symptom that most affects the quality of life is neuralgia.

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The pain of shingles is like the tight hoop of Monkey King. No matter how others describe it, it pales in comparison. Only those who have experienced it know how annoying it is:

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It has all the pain you want, such as knife cutting, needle pricks, and electric shocks. It may also cause itching, or itching and pain . Everyone feels different, so it is simply tailor-made for the patient.

Some people still feel pain even after they have recovered from the disease. This is called "postherpetic neuralgia". It's like herpes has grown on the mind and can't be shaken off.

About 5% to 30% of patients will experience postherpetic neuralgia, of which 30% to 50% may experience pain that lasts for a year , and some even for more than 10 years.

Those who heard it were sad, those who saw it shed tears, and only the patient was screaming in pain...

Shingles "favors" middle-aged and elderly people . Almost everyone's chance of getting shingles increases greatly when they are over 40 years old .

Especially among middle-aged and elderly people with various chronic diseases , such as diabetes, rheumatism, cardiovascular disease, osteoarthritis and other diseases , many suffer from shingles.

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The reason why there are more elderly patients is that the shingles virus lurks in the human body and depends on the mood of the immune system.

If the immune system is strong , the virus will keep a low profile and continue to lurk;

If the immune system is weak , viruses will run rampant and even a simple cold may cause an outbreak.

As the physical functions of the elderly decline, they naturally become a high-risk group for shingles.

Does that mean young people won’t get shingles?

You're just overthinking it. What's bound to happen is bound to happen . Shingles will equally target every young person who doesn't take good care of their body.

If your lifestyle is like this:

Often staying up late, not getting enough rest, not liking to exercise, being very picky about food, and being in a bad mood.

Then you are a key candidate for shingles, and you might start to feel pain in your body one day.

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It's not uncommon to have poor immunity, but it's rare to actively lower one's immunity. It dreams of meeting more people like you.

If you just listen to some folk remedies and try to "detoxify", it will certainly not get better, and it may even get worse.

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To treat shingles, it mainly relies on antiviral treatment, as well as auxiliary analgesic treatment, nerve nutrition and other treatment methods.

Common antiviral drugs: acyclovir, valacyclovir, famciclovir, brivudine, etc.;

Common analgesics: pregabalin, gabapentin, etc.

It is best to take medication within 72 hours after the onset of shingles, so go to the hospital in time, either to the dermatology department or the pain department, and don't delay until it becomes serious.

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What if you really don’t want to go to the hospital or take medicine? Can shingles heal on its own?

Shingles does have the characteristic of healing on its own. If you rely on your strong body to endure it for 2 to 3 weeks, the condition will improve.

However, it is still recommended that everyone receive treatment. In addition to the rash, the neuralgia caused by shingles is even more unbearable and seriously affects the patient's quality of life.

As long as you still feel pain, you should deal with it actively.

At the same time, it is recommended that everyone take active preventive measures in daily life, pay attention to rest, supplement nutrition, and improve their own immunity.

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If you are an older person, it is best to get the shingles vaccine . Currently, the vaccination scope in our country has been expanded to 40 years old .

Vaccination is not troublesome, it only requires one shot . Compared to the pain caused by shingles, getting vaccinated is so easy.

Statement: This article is a medical-related educational popular science article. It does not involve specific treatment methods or medical behaviors and cannot replace hospital visits.

Experts collaborating on this article

References

[1] Yang Yunfeng, Pan Yanbin, Wu Lingyan, et al. Research progress in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia[J]. Minimally Invasive Medicine, 2024, 19(02): 176-180.

[2] Jiang Yajuan. Clinical characteristics and medication analysis of herpes zoster in the elderly[D]. Heilongjiang University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 2023. DOI: 10.27127/d.cnki.ghlzu.2023.000619.

[3] Liu Na, Luan Lin, Zhang Jun, et al. A review of the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of herpes zoster[J]. Chinese Journal of Vaccines and Immunization, 2023, 29(01): 102-112. DOI: 10.19914/j.CJVI.2023018.

Content Production

Editor: Zhang Fuyao

Map: Eastern Zhou Dynasty