Can diabetes cause shingles?

  As diabetes makes the body’s resistance lower, it is susceptible to various infections, and herpes zoster virus infection is one of them.  Herpes zoster virus is neurophilic, and after infection it can be latent in the neurons of the posterior root ganglion of the spinal nerve for a long time. When the resistance is low or when you are tired, infected, or have a cold, the virus can grow and multiply again and move along the nerve fibers to the skin, causing intense inflammation of the invaded nerves and skin. Recently, we have had several patients with diabetic herpes zoster in the ward, with intense pain, some of them have been in pain for a year, and they scream in pain when they put on a piece of clothing and touch the skin.  Treatment is very tricky, and in the early stages: (1) Antiviral drugs Acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir can be used.  (2) neuralgia medication ① antidepressants The main drugs are paroxetine (Serotonin), fluoxetine (Pepcid), fluvoxamine, sertraline, etc.; ② anticonvulsants are carbamazepine, sodium valproate, etc.  ③Anesthesia analgesic drugs Morphine as the representative of the analgesic drugs. Available drugs are morphine (mescaline), hydroxymorphinone (oxycontin), oxycodone, fentanyl (Doregis), dihydroetofil, Luguic, etc.  Non-narcotic analgesics include NSAIDs, tramadol, aconitine, capsaicin, etc. In addition, nerve block methods: for severe pain, when the drug is difficult to control that should be considered with direct and effective sensory nerve block therapy. The choice of block localization should depend on the extent of the lesion and the response to treatment. The general principle should be from superficial to deep, from simple to complex, from the end to the nerve trunk and nerve root; finally, nerve repair therapy: such as the application of Micropapillar type drugs.