Herpes zoster is an acute herpetic skin disease, mostly seen in adults and especially in the elderly, and does not recur in most patients. The disease is usually found on the trunk, so it is also known as “snake sores”, “fire sores”, “fire belt sores”, “retort sores”, and “snake sores” in Chinese medicine. The disease is also known as “snake sores”, “fire sores”, “fire belt sores”, “snake sores”, “snake sores”, etc. Western medicine believes that this disease is caused by varicella-zoster virus infection. Although herpes zoster is prevalent on the chest, it can also occur on the head and face. Patients produce more pronounced pain along with localized redness, blisters, crusting, and discoloration, etc. Especially elderly or weak patients with herpes zoster can also experience significant neuralgia in the later stages, which greatly affects the quality of life.
I. Etiology
Herpes zoster is a viral infection caused by varicella-zoster virus (VZV), so it is relatively similar to chickenpox, and many people often confuse herpes zoster with chickenpox.
VZV is a DNA virus that enters the body mainly through the upper respiratory tract and causes disease onset. As with many viral diseases, it requires a certain number of people to develop the disease, so many patients show symptoms of chickenpox or latent infection after first contracting the virus. When the virus is free in the skin neurons, it can cause the onset of disease when stimulated by various triggers. The common triggers before the onset of the disease are excessive fatigue, cold and flu, immune system decline, mental stress, malignant disease, trauma, etc.
Second, how to treat
There are many ways to treat shingles, and different treatments are chosen according to the stage of development and specific symptom performance.
In general, the treatment of herpes zoster mainly uses a combination of internal and external treatment. Oral antiviral medications include: acyclovir, vanamycin, ribavirin, interferon, adenosine, etc.), and topical medications include: phthalodinan application, 1% ichthyolipid and glyburide lotion, and ganciclovir ointment. For facial herpes zoster, choose 3% boric acid solution or gentamicin saline wet compresses; for ocular herpes zoster, choose 0.1% to 0.5% herpes net eye drops. For more severe cases, corticosteroids are given.
Patients with shingles who have neuralgia will also be given paroxysmal medications, usually codeine, phenytoin sodium, carbamazepine, etc. If there is no significant effect despite the medication, a nerve block will be used for analgesia.
In addition, physical therapy can be used in conjunction with anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving methods to reduce the duration of the disease. Common physical therapies include ultraviolet light irradiation, helium-neon laser irradiation, audio electrotherapy, moxibustion around moxa, etc.
Clinical manifestations
The incidence of the disease is more common in adults, and the incidence increases with age. It can occur in all seasons, and is more common in spring and autumn.
Before the onset of the disease, there may be general malaise, fatigue, low fever, poor appetite, skin sensitivity, or burning and tingling and other prodromal symptoms, and the rash may appear simultaneously with the pain or may be delayed for several days. The rash may appear at the same time as the pain or may be delayed for several days.
At the beginning of the disease, red papules appear on the affected skin, which soon turn into corn- to soybean-sized blisters, clustered in groups without fusion, like a string of beads, arranged in bands, separated by normal skin, surrounded by a red halo, with clarified blister fluid and shiny, tense blister walls. They occur on one side of the body and are distributed along the dermal nerve, usually not exceeding the midline. Some patients may have no skin lesions, only a local tingling sensation, or slightly red, without obvious blisters; some severe cases may have large, bloody blisters, or even necrosis.
Pain is the main symptom of the disease and may appear before the onset of the disease or simultaneously with the lesions. The severity of pain varies from person to person, with mild pain in children or young people; severe pain in old and frail patients, and in some patients, stubborn neuralgia that lasts for months or even longer after the lesions have faded. In the head and face, such as the eyes and ears, the disease is often severe, accompanied by swelling and pain in the nearby swelling nucleus; it can also lead to visual and auditory impairment.
Fourth, life care
1. Combine work and rest, adjust emotions, and avoid aggravating the disease with liver depression and stagnation.
2, diet should be light, avoid eating spicy, fatty, sweet, thick and fishy sea food, eat more fresh vegetables and fruits.
3, underwear should be loose and soft to reduce friction; local avoid scalding with hot water.
4, the lesions should be kept dry and clean to avoid infection; avoid using irritating ointments to avoid the expansion of the lesions or aggravate the disease.
How to treat herpes zoster? The above simple introduction, I believe that we have a certain understanding of shingles treatment and causes, shingles treatment methods are many, suitable for their own is the best. So once the relevant symptoms appear, find a regular hospital, under the guidance of professional doctors for scientific treatment, is the best for you.