Herpes zoster: treatment, symptoms and prevention

In this article, we consider herpes zoster. Is he contagious ?

This is one of the types of viral diseases that is transmitted, as a rule, by airborne droplets or when using common hygiene items with a sick person. This virus is able to exist for a long time in the human body, without expressing any symptoms.

Herpes zoster is manifested in the form of lesions of the skin, which can cause disturbances in the work of nerve endings. It should be noted that this disease can be eliminated at home, however, the best way is medication prescribed by a specialist. The herpes virus is very contagious and is transmitted from person to person, however, there are no characteristic manifestations that are detected immediately after infection, and it becomes difficult to identify the causes of skin rashes. The disease affects absolutely all groups of the population, regardless of age and other characteristics. We treat the treatment of herpes zoster below.

Effects

The infectious disease doctor is responsible for determining the signs of the pathology and its treatment, which should be addressed at the first symptoms of this disease. Herpes zoster occurs with severe pain, redness and rash, as well as with a violation of the general condition. If the disease is ignored and its therapy is not started in time, the pathology can lead to very serious complications, which include:

• paresis;
• paralysis;
• meningoencephalitis.

It is possible to treat such a disease in a hospital and at home, which directly depends on the severity of the course of herpetic infection.

Herpetic infection

Herpes zoster (ICD-10 - B02) causes the appearance of the Herpes zoster virus, which can provoke the development of chickenpox. When Herpes zoster initially enters the human body, the development of normal chickenpox is observed, which is usually carried by most people in childhood. After this disease, the pathogen does not disappear from the body, but remains in it forever, hiding in certain cells of the nervous system. When negative provoking factors appear, which may be a decrease in immunity, contacts with patients with chickenpox or herpes, the pathogen can activate by leaving the nerve cells, after which it begins to spread along their processes to the surface of the skin. The part of the human body that is regulated by the affected nerve begins to become covered by a characteristic rash and becomes very painful. Infection with this pathological infection occurs through contact with people with chickenpox or shingles. Herpes zoster in older people is more severe and more difficult to treat.

Medical science knows three main routes of transmission of the pathogen:

1. Airborne, when a person can become infected while not far from the patient. Most often, infection occurs in public places and poorly ventilated areas where the virus moves with air currents. However, in the absence of direct contacts with patients, the chance of getting sick is not too high.
2. The contact method is through direct interaction with an infected person, for example, during a conversation, hugs, handshakes. The chance of getting sick in this case increases to almost 100%, especially when a healthy person touched the rashes on the patient's skin.
3. The transplacental pathway, when a woman during pregnancy has chickenpox or shingles. In this case, there is a risk of infection passing through the placental barrier.

People often ask: "Herpes zoster - is it contagious?" It is almost impossible to catch such an infection through household items, since the causative agent of herpes zoster is very unstable in the external environment. The microorganism quickly dies under the influence of direct sunlight and when heated, however, it can remain for a very long time at low temperatures. Before considering the treatment of herpes zoster, you need to talk about the causes of its occurrence.

Reasons for the activation of the herpes virus

In order to become infected with this type of infection, it is necessary to transfer chickenpox - a disease after which the causative agent of herpes infection is permanently stored in the body.

Under the influence of some provoking factors, this viral microorganism wakes up and attacks the body again.

The causes of herpes zoster are:

1. Treatment with drugs whose active substances can cause inhibition of the body's immune defense.
2. Transplantation of bone marrow or any organs.
3. Radiation and chemical therapy.
4. Frequent stress and nervous excitement.
5. General or local hypothermia.
6. The presence of certain oncological pathologies, for example, lymphogranulomatosis.
7. Long-term use of antibacterial drugs or glucocorticosteroids.
8. HIV and AIDS.

Also, a very high risk of getting this pathology is pregnant women and the elderly.

What are the symptoms of herpes zoster?

Characteristic signs of pathology

The disease develops in most cases gradually. Initially, patients complain of malaise, fatigue, fever. Such a clinical picture resembles the usual ARI, despite the fact that in some cases violations of the gastrointestinal tract are manifested - nausea, changes in stool.

Along with such symptoms, those that are characteristic of this particular pathology appear - pain and itching in those areas where the affected nerve endings pass, that is, where a herpetic rash will appear in the future.

Within a few days with herpes zoster in adults, the patient's condition, as a rule, worsens:

• the temperature rises to high levels (up to 40 ° C);
• malaise and severe weakness develop, a person constantly wants to sleep;
• pain and itching in the places of projection of nerve endings intensify;
• a characteristic rash appears.
  

Elements of such rashes have certain stages of development. Initially, with the disease, herpes zoster, the formation of pink spots is observed, then bubbles form, located in small groups. After a few days, these elements begin to dry out, and in their place crusts form, which gradually peel off over the course of a month.

Herpetic infection is able to affect not only the skin, but also some cells of the nervous system, so the disease proceeds with severe neuralgic symptoms:

1. Attacks of severe burning spasmodic pains that appear, usually at night or during rest.
2. Violation of muscle control in areas where nerves are affected.
3. Disturbances in the work of sensitive fibers, after which their pathological sensitivity arises or, on the contrary, its absence in specific areas of the skin.

The patient feels unwell until the vesicles turn into crusts, however, itching and discomfort in the affected areas of the skin can persist for a long period after the disappearance of the main symptoms.

Pathology classification

In addition to the main characteristic clinical picture of this disease, there are so-called atypical forms of development of herpes zoster on the body, which are the following pathologies:

1. Bullous (blistering) form of herpes, when small vesicles (vesicles) merge together and form one large bladder, which is most often filled not with serous contents, as originally, but hemorrhagic, that is, contains blood.
2. The abortive form is one of the easiest variants of the course of the disease, which is usually observed in people with high immune defense functions. Rashes in this case do not form bubbles, but develop in the opposite order - to the stage of pink spots.
3. A gangrenous type of herpes zoster, which is most commonly affected by older people and those with diabetes. This form of the disease is characterized by the fact that, at the site of the rash, soft tissue necrosis develops with subsequent formation of scars.
4. A generalized form of infection, characterized in that at first the disease develops according to a typical clinical picture, but after the appearance of local lesions on the skin, the rash continues to spread throughout the skin and mucous membranes. Generalization of the process most often occurs in people with severe immunodeficiency syndromes.

Diagnostic Detection Methods

Due to the fact that the clinical picture of this pathology has special characteristics inherent only to this disease, its diagnosis is not particularly difficult. An erroneous diagnosis can be made only at the initial stage of the disease, however, with the formation of a rash, it becomes clear what disease a particular patient is dealing with.

An important role in the differential diagnosis has an epidemic history. In order to distinguish the development of chickenpox from the generalized variety of herpes, a specialist needs to know whether a person had chickenpox in childhood or not. If he was sick, then at the moment he has herpes, as he has chickenpox more than once in his life. In addition, it is very important to know whether the patient had contact with a person infected with this type of infectious disease. If such contacts were present, then most likely the patient was also infected through just such interactions.

Treatment of herpes zoster with alternative methods

Treatment of this pathology with traditional medicine methods should be carried out under the supervision of specialists, nevertheless, a person should understand that the better the treatment of herpes infection, the less chance there are of complications in the future. For the treatment of herpes at home, as a rule, a variety of herbal infusions and decoctions are used, which help to disinfect the surface of the skin, providing a good antiseptic effect and preventing the attachment of a bacterial infection. Nevertheless, folk remedies are not able to cure this disease quickly.

What other treatments for herpes zoster are used?

Drug therapy of the disease

In order to cure manifestations of herpes zoster, medications of different drug groups are used. This is required in order to comprehensively affect the viral infection, improve the patient’s well-being and support his immunity, which can subsequently cope with outbreaks of herpes infection on its own. Medicines used in the treatment of this disease include:

1. Antiviral drugs, such as Acyclovir for herpes zoster, which show a therapeutic effect only in the first days of the onset of a disease. Subsequently, their use does not, as a rule, bring any result. Such drugs affect the pathogen, preventing the infection from multiplying and developing.
2. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, such as Meloxicam. They fight inflammation, lower the temperature and eliminate pain.
3. Sedatives and antidepressants, for example, Nitrosan. Such remedies are prescribed in order to improve the patient's sleep and his emotional state. The use of such drugs is very important, since the itching of areas of skin lesions is activated precisely at night.
4. Antihistamines medications, such as "Zodak", the reception of which can significantly reduce or completely eliminate the unpleasant manifestations of skin itching.
5. In cases of severe intoxication, the patient needs a certain detoxification therapy. To reduce the pathogenic effect of the herpes virus on the body, intravenous administration of a large amount of liquid in the form of saline and glucose is possible. At the same time, the use of diuretic drugs is possible, however, the patient must comply with certain rules of the drinking regimen. Such therapy allows you to quickly free the body of toxins released during the life of herpes viruses.
6. Lesions of the skin must be treated with special solutions and ointments, for example, brilliant green, medicines "Acyclovir" or "Solcoseryl". These measures will help to avoid the penetration of various types of bacteria through the damaged areas, as well as accelerate the drying and separation of the rash elements.
   

The effects of herpes zoster can be very serious.

Effects

If untimely seek help, complications may develop. The most common are constant pain at the site of the rash.

The consequences are also considered:

• loss of sensitivity in the area of ​​localization of the elements of the rash;
• vision problems and inflammation of the eyeballs;
• purulent discharge from dried bubbles;
• decreased activity of the lower and upper extremities, paralysis;
• internal organs and mucous membranes may be affected;
• paralysis of nerves in the face;
• pneumonia;
• during pregnancy, fetal infection, miscarriage and the birth of a dead child may occur.

Prevention

Prevention of herpes zoster as such in medical practice does not exist. There is a special vaccine, but doctors say that it is not practical to use it, since its effect is designed for a short period of time.

If a person often suffers from the manifestations of the herpes virus, then the best prevention for him is to maintain the immune system in an active state. To do this, avoid hypothermia, eat right, abandon negative habits and try not to be nervous, because stress greatly inhibits immune defense. In addition, during periods of hypovitaminosis, the use of special complex vitamin preparations is recommended.