Shingles/Herpes Zoster
...ns ordinarily occur along a single dermatome, the body area in which a single spinal nerve serves, and are unilateral of the body. The trunk of the body is affected most often, usually showing a belt of rash that extends from the spine around one half of the chest to the sternum. Lesions may also occur elsewhere on the body, particularly the neck or face. When they occur on the face it is mainly on the trigeminal nerve. The trigeminal nerve consists of three branches, the superior that goes to the forehead, the middle that goes to the center of the face, and the inferior, which goes to the lower face. Therefore, the particular nerve that is affected will determine the area of the face on which the lesions will be. In extreme cases in which the trigeminal nerve is affected, lesions may occur in the mouth or eye. Lesions in the eye can lead to permanent blindness if not treated. Cases that involve the facial nerves may also cause Ramsay Hunt syndrome with facial paralysis, loss of hearing, loss of taste in half of the tongue, and lesions around the ear and ear canal. Shingles can become complicated by neuralgia, a post-herpetic condition. This causes a persistence of pain in the area in which shingles occurred, and may last for years following the initial episode of shingles. Shingles may become contagious though direct contact to an individual who has not had chickenpox, and therefore has not developed immunity to the virus varicella-zoster. It may affect any age group, but is most common in adults over 60 years old, children who had chickenpox before their first birthday, and people who have a weakened immune system, which is mainly caused by drugs or other illnesses. Herpes zoster is a common disorder and occurs in 600,000 to one million people per year in the United States alone. A widespread or recurrent case of shingles may indicate an underlying problem with the immune system, possibly caused by certain diseases, including leukemia and AIDS. A heightened risk is also made for people who have had an organ transplant or a treatment of cancer. There is little known prevention of herpes zoster, and what is known is obvious things not to do. If an individual has never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine, they should not come in contact with the lesions of a person with either type of varicella-zoster, shingles or chickenpox. The chickenpox vaccine is a recommended childhood vaccine, but can be given to teenagers or adults that have never had the vaccination. There are many different symptoms of shingles. The first symptom is unilateral pain, tingling, or burning sensation limited to a specific part of the body. The second is reddening of the skin followed by blistering. There are also symptoms of problems that affect the body. These include flu-like symptoms, rash, sensitive skin, and itching. There can also be problems that affect the eye, such as redness, light sensitivity, s...