Firewire
Herpes zoster / Shingles is a severe viral infection in the nerve and surrounding skin surface that is nourished by this nerve. It appears in the form of vesicles in the pathway of a particular sensory nerve, characterized by severe pain, This is why it is called a fiery belt, as it takes a specific part of the skin according to the injured nerve, such as a belt that separates this part, which is very painful and red as fire from the rest of the body.
The virus causing the disease is Varicella-Zoster Virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. When infected with chickenpox for the first time, the virus remains in the nerve nodes of nerve assets for up to several years, and when it is reactivated The virus runs down the nerves to the skin in the form of herpes nervosa. The fiery belt can not occur without primary chickenpox infection. The cause of the virus is usually unknown, but it is associated with age (more prevalent over the age of 50) , Exposure to stress and emotion , Usually, the patient is infected with this fiery belt once in his life, it is rare that the incidence of repeated this disease twice or more, studies suggest that the incidence of this disease is relatively high; where the injured person out of every three people with the disease worldwide.
Symptoms
The varicella virus usually has one nerve on one side of the body, the symptoms of which appear in the dermatome skin area. The most common symptoms in the fiery belt are pain, stiffness, burning sensation, and sharp pain like intermittent sting. Other common symptoms include pain in the skin when touched, violent skin rash, and sometimes two or three nerves are affected by each other. The disease usually spreads on infected nerves that nourish the skin of the chest or abdomen, and the nerves of the upper face, specifically in the skin area around the eye, and usually the fiery belt takes the following pathway in the appearance of symptoms:
- Sharp pain, tingling, numbness, itching on a specific part of the skin, on one side of the body.
- The rash appears after one to five days after the onset of pain.
- Red spots develop into blisters filled with itchy fluid.
- The rash appears in the form of chickenpox, but only on one area of the skin that is nourished by the affected nerve.
- Skin rash may in some cases affect the face, eyes, mouth, and ears.
- Sometimes pimples are incorporated, forming a solid red spot that looks like severe burns.
- In rare cases, especially in people with weakened immune systems, skin rash may be more extensive, similar to a chickenpox rash, covering large areas of the skin.
- The fiery belt can affect the eye, called the optic nerve, where the virus invades the eye’s nerve and causes painful eye infections, and may cause temporary or permanent loss of vision.
- New blisters may continue for up to a week.
- May cause inflammation and swelling of the soft tissue under and around the rash.
- People with a fiery belt on the trunk may feel painful cramps after exposure to a very slight touch.
- Warts begin to dry gradually to form crusts seven to ten days after they appear.
- The fire belt may have minor scars in place of those blisters.
- The belt can last from two to four weeks.
- Other symptoms may accompany the disease, which is as follows:
- Muscle pain and weakness may accompany this disease, in case of exposure to the facial nerves of this virus may cause:
- Facial paralysis, or difficulty moving the facial muscles.
- Taste problems.
- Problems in looking.
- hearing loss.
- Loss of ability to move the eye.
- Drops the eyelid of the eye.
Complications
It is rare for patients to have complications of this disease, but it is disturbing and may affect the life of the patient in general, and the most important of these complications:
- Nervous pain following herpes: For some people, the pain may persist after a long period of warts and its disappearance, and occurs when damaged nerve fibers send mixed messages and excessive pain from the skin to the brain, and is one of the most common complications.
- Loss of sight: Painful eye infections can cause permanent vision loss.
- Different neurological problems: Depending on which nerves have been affected, the fiery belt can cause facial paralysis, loss of hearing or balance problems.
- SKIN INFECTIONS: If blisters are not properly treated, bacterial skin infections may occur.
- Firewalls rarely cause pneumonia, encephalitis or death.
the cure:
Neurosurgery is often cured automatically without specific treatment of the disease itself, only the treatment of the symptoms of the disease, and to minimize the possibility of the development of complications, including these treatments:
- Antivirals: Helps reduce the duration of the disease, pain, and possible complications, and protects the patient if he is immune, preferably within 24 hours of pain, Sometimes intravenous injection is given if the patient is suffering from a severe immune deficiency.
- Pain relievers: Regular analgesics such as paracetamol are commonly used. Your doctor may have to use stronger pain medication such as steroids, anti-epileptic drugs, depression to control acute pain and even use topical drugs.
- Personal care: The patient should avoid things that irritate the skin of clothing and others, in addition to maintaining the cleanliness of the affected area to avoid bacterial infections on them, and can be used moisturizing and moisturizing on these pimples provided they contain no irritants.
Prevention of disease:
Fortunately, scientists have developed a vaccine for the virus that causes this disease. The best way to prevent this disease is to take these vaccines and follow some preventive methods to avoid infection:
- Giving the chickenpox vaccine to children.
- Vaccine is given to people over the age of 50, which does not prevent the injury of the fire belt, but reduces the risk of infection significantly.
- Do not touch the personal tools of the casualty until after washing in boiling water.