Herpes Zoster, also known as shingles, is an illness that can cause you a considerable amount of pain. The pain comes in the form of a rash and blisters that form on your body. This is as a result of having the Varicella Zoster Virus. This is the virus that gives people the chicken pox. Chicken pox gives people a higher risk of being susceptible to shingles later on in life because the virus remains dormant in the body and can awaken at any time. Are shingles contagious though?
Shingles often awakens and attacks people when certain conditions are met. One of those reasons is a depleted and low immune system. When your immune system is under attack, usually during times of stress or other illness, such as HIV, your system is susceptible to other illnesses that a healthy immune system would ward off. If you had the chicken pox and remember them, then what you mostly remember is the itching that came with it. Shingles does the same thing, except it can be more intense. This itch is also accompanied with severe pain in most cases. Some of the other systems of shingles are flu like symptoms such as fever, head ache and nausea.
Fever may be one of the first signs of contracting shingles. Your fever may continue for a number of days before any other signs, such as a rash or blister may appear. Other initial signs of shingles are feeling tired or getting chills. Then it begins. At first you may want to itch or you might see a small blister like a bug bite appear.
Once the rash and blisters start showing up, your suspicions will be confirmed, you have the shingles. The shingles form into a band starting from the spine on one side of the body. This band follows a nerve outward from the spine to the outer portion of the body. They usually will only be in one area on the body. When you start seeing a blister, it's time to get to the doctor. The quicker you get started with the treatment the faster it will heal.
If you do not seek immediate medical attention, you are putting yourself and your health at risk. For example, if you should get shingles in the eye, your chances of going blind increase. You could also develop something called chronic neuralgia. This condition causes extreme pain and can last for weeks. Sometimes, after the rash is gone, you still feel the pain of shingles. This is nerve damage and is called post herpetic neuralgia, and can be just as painful as when the rash was at its most painful level.
The Shingles is most contagious and can be passed to others when the rash and blisters are at their peak. At this stage of the shingles, the sufferer could be experiencing extreme pain and itching. When the blisters are bright red and oozing, anyone who has not had the chicken pox needs to stay away. It's best that these individuals avoid anyone with shingles until the blisters start to heal and dry up. When all blisters are crusted over, the virus can no longer be spread and the contagious period will be over.
Individuals with a healthy immune system will find it hard to contract shingles. The immune system seems to be the key to getting shingles. Your immune system may be in jeopardy by taking certain medications or with a disease that attacks it. High stress, medication and illness are good feeding grounds for shingles. That is why this affliction is thought to be more susceptible to the senior population. Most seniors are on medications and seem to be under a lot of stress. Seniors have to be careful about other illnesses that come calling with a weak immune system. That's not to say younger individuals will not contract shingles. On the contrary, shingles are now showing up in individuals of all ages. Economic and environmental conditions play a factor. It seems like everyone is under stress these days and unhealthy eating causes your immune system to be under duress.
So the question "are shingles contagious?" cannot be answered easily and is not straight forward. I hope this article brings a little clarity and helps you understand this infliction a little more. If you know someone with shingles, just know that they could be in great pain and try to get them help to clear up the rash as quickly as possible. There are natural cures as well as medications that can help ease the pain and the quicker it is gone the better.
Shingles often awakens and attacks people when certain conditions are met. One of those reasons is a depleted and low immune system. When your immune system is under attack, usually during times of stress or other illness, such as HIV, your system is susceptible to other illnesses that a healthy immune system would ward off. If you had the chicken pox and remember them, then what you mostly remember is the itching that came with it. Shingles does the same thing, except it can be more intense. This itch is also accompanied with severe pain in most cases. Some of the other systems of shingles are flu like symptoms such as fever, head ache and nausea.
Fever may be one of the first signs of contracting shingles. Your fever may continue for a number of days before any other signs, such as a rash or blister may appear. Other initial signs of shingles are feeling tired or getting chills. Then it begins. At first you may want to itch or you might see a small blister like a bug bite appear.
Once the rash and blisters start showing up, your suspicions will be confirmed, you have the shingles. The shingles form into a band starting from the spine on one side of the body. This band follows a nerve outward from the spine to the outer portion of the body. They usually will only be in one area on the body. When you start seeing a blister, it's time to get to the doctor. The quicker you get started with the treatment the faster it will heal.
If you do not seek immediate medical attention, you are putting yourself and your health at risk. For example, if you should get shingles in the eye, your chances of going blind increase. You could also develop something called chronic neuralgia. This condition causes extreme pain and can last for weeks. Sometimes, after the rash is gone, you still feel the pain of shingles. This is nerve damage and is called post herpetic neuralgia, and can be just as painful as when the rash was at its most painful level.
The Shingles is most contagious and can be passed to others when the rash and blisters are at their peak. At this stage of the shingles, the sufferer could be experiencing extreme pain and itching. When the blisters are bright red and oozing, anyone who has not had the chicken pox needs to stay away. It's best that these individuals avoid anyone with shingles until the blisters start to heal and dry up. When all blisters are crusted over, the virus can no longer be spread and the contagious period will be over.
Individuals with a healthy immune system will find it hard to contract shingles. The immune system seems to be the key to getting shingles. Your immune system may be in jeopardy by taking certain medications or with a disease that attacks it. High stress, medication and illness are good feeding grounds for shingles. That is why this affliction is thought to be more susceptible to the senior population. Most seniors are on medications and seem to be under a lot of stress. Seniors have to be careful about other illnesses that come calling with a weak immune system. That's not to say younger individuals will not contract shingles. On the contrary, shingles are now showing up in individuals of all ages. Economic and environmental conditions play a factor. It seems like everyone is under stress these days and unhealthy eating causes your immune system to be under duress.
So the question "are shingles contagious?" cannot be answered easily and is not straight forward. I hope this article brings a little clarity and helps you understand this infliction a little more. If you know someone with shingles, just know that they could be in great pain and try to get them help to clear up the rash as quickly as possible. There are natural cures as well as medications that can help ease the pain and the quicker it is gone the better.
About the Author:
About the author: Phillip Adler can provide help with the facts about the shingle virus and are shingles contagious. Get more information about shingles and shingles pain relief on his website.
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