Shingles commonly appears on the neck, head, face, and waist, primarily presenting as clusters of blisters at the affected site. Most early symptoms involve pain, which is often mistaken for headaches, heart disease, acute appendicitis, cholecystitis, or back/leg pain. Diagnosis as shingles typically occurs only after the rash appears.
Shingles is also contagious.
We all know chickenpox spreads through respiratory transmission and is highly contagious, often requiring isolation. Shingles and chickenpox are caused by the same virus—the varicella-zoster virus.
During childhood, infection with the varicella-zoster virus causes red spots, papules, and blisters—known as chickenpox—to appear on the head, face, trunk, and limbs. Whether treated or not, after the rash heals, the virus remains dormant at nerve roots.When the body's resistance weakens, the virus reactivates from the nerve roots, invading the skin and nerves on one side of the body. This manifests as red patches and blisters on one side, accompanied by nerve pain—shingles.
While shingles is far less contagious than chickenpox, individuals who have never had chickenpox can contract it through close contact with a shingles patient. We frequently encounter such cases, so we advise every shingles patient to avoid close contact with children who have not had chickenpox to prevent transmission.
Treatment Measures for Shingles
1. Medication Therapy
Antiviral Drugs:
Selected based on the cause, such as ribavirin, acyclovir, interferon, and oral Chinese or Western medications. These can inhibit the virus to varying degrees, promote recovery, and timely, effective, and adequate dosing may reduce the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia.
Immune-enhancing medications:
Include prednisone, polyinosinic polycytidylic acid (PIP), nucleotides, etc.The primary therapeutic effects are anti-inflammatory and analgesic.
3. Paravertebral and Nerve Root Blockade
Injecting therapeutic agents around the nerve roots at the paravertebral foramina or performing segmental nerve blockades can also be used for the clinical treatment of acute herpes zoster, yielding equally satisfactory results. However, precise localization is essential, and the procedure demands high technical proficiency. Extreme caution is required to prevent complications.
4. Epidural Injection
The epidural space is the potential gap between the ligamentum flavum and the dura mater, filled with connective tissue, blood vessels, nerve roots, and fat.Injecting medication into this space allows direct action on the affected tissues and nerves of acute shingles patients. This approach achieves prompt and satisfactory pain relief, shortens the disease course, and promotes recovery from acute shingles.
5. Acupuncture and Cupping Therapy
Acupuncture and cupping therapy for shingles aims to expel pathogenic toxins and stagnant blood from the body, thereby achieving pain relief and disease treatment.
6. Comprehensive Treatment
Treatment measures for shingles also include comprehensive approaches such as oral Chinese and Western medications, local drug injections, nerve root blockades, physical therapy, and topical analgesic ointments. Particularly during the acute phase of shingles, cure is typically achieved within 3-5 sessions, generally without leaving postherpetic neuralgia. (Reference: Family Doctor Online)