According to the scientists' researches 60-95% of people are infected with one or more viruses of herpetic group, among them one can find shingles. Death rate from these diseases takes the second place in the viral illnesses after the flu. What is this disease and how can we get rid of it? What are the main symptoms in men? This article uncovers the most common items each has to know.
What danger hides shingles rash
Herpes zoster is a very spread disease, caused by the third type herpes virus (VZU). Paradoxically, but with children this virus triggers chicken-pox, and with adults - shingles, which is more painful and exhausting. If the first one is an illness not to be caught one more time, the second one is a disease, from which a man can suffer for the whole life. It is rather difficult to cure and has to be fought against, because of possible prolonged pain symptoms and other complications.
One of the first symptoms to alert men is a blistery rash on the stomach area, usually accompanied by extreme pain in the eruption zone. However, there are clinic cases, when no blisters are found and the ache is impossible to stand. Your back hurts, your chest hurts, even the ribs hurt but you don't even suspect what's wrong. Some time later the first rash appears and goes away after the treatment is finished, nonetheless, the pain remains. This is caused by neuralgia and other peripheral nerves damage.
Thus, the main symptoms men can find and diagnose as shingles are:
- Skin manifestation - blistery rash along the nerve segments. At first these are reddish spots of different size and form, later they may get filled with "water". In 1 - 2 weeks blisters get dry and solid cover appears. In rare cases the inflaming shingles process penetrates deep into the shin tissue, leaving the scars after the rash is cured. It is worth mentioning, that the skin manifestation represents the level of damaged nervous structures. Extensive disease form will have the eruption all over the body, as if a chicken-pox.
- Pain syndrome - as a rule ache appears several days before the rash. The ache can be of different intensity (from mild to unbearable). Soreness during the disease will become stronger at night and will react on different cues (touch, cold). Many men complain for severe headache, which grows when the position of the head is changed.
- Perception distress - more often than not, shingles infected people lose sensitivity in the areas hurt by the virus.
- General intoxication symptoms are observed: weakness, loss of the appetite, nausea, vomiting, fever, weight loss.
Visual features of the disease (skin eruption) are not difficult to cure. Even the self-treatment will be enough. The situation is drastically different with the pain syndrome. Men need professional clinic help to heal nervous tissues and prevent further complications.
Shingles treatment is to be applied as soon as possible; otherwise the symptoms may develop chronic character. Such treatment has to be complex, including both medicines targeted on the irritator and nosotropic therapy. Usually the following is prescribed:
- local antiviral ointments - to heal the eruption;
- antiviral and antiinflaming medicine (to get rid of nerve edema);
- pain-killers, as it may get very extreme is some cases;
- antibiotics with a wide spectrum - to prevent complications
- general tonic treatment - to support men's immune system in the fight against the dangerous infection;
The most common complication one can get from shingles is Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). It lasts for at least 30 days and may continue for months or years. Characterized by: