In this article, consider herpes zoster. Is it contagious?
This is one of the varieties of viral diseases, which is transmitted, as a rule, by airborne droplets or when using common hygiene items with a sick person. This virus is able to exist in the human body for a long time without expressing any symptoms.
Herpes zoster manifests itself in the form of skin lesions that can cause disturbances in the functioning of nerve endings. It should be noted that you can get rid of this disease at home, but the best way is drug therapy prescribed by a specialist. The herpes virus is highly 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 a skin rash. Absolutely all groups of the population are susceptible to the disease, regardless of age and other characteristics. Consider herpes zoster treatmentbelow.
Consequences
Determination of signs of pathology and its treatment is carried out by an infectious disease specialist, who should be contacted at the first symptoms of this disease. Herpes zoster occurs with severe pain, redness of the skin 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 herpes infection.
Infection with herpes infection
Herpes zoster (ICD-10 – B02) causes a type of Herpes zoster virus that can provoke the development of chicken pox. With the initial ingestion of Herpes zoster in the human body, the development of ordinary chickenpox is observed, which, as a rule, most people tolerate in childhood. After this disease, the pathogen does not disappear from the body anywhere, but remains in it forever, hiding in certain cells of the nervous system. When negative provoking factors appear, which can be a decrease in immunity, contacts with patients with chickenpox or herpes, the pathogen can become activated, leaving the nerve cells, after which it begins to spread along their processes to the very surface of the skin. The area of the human body, which is regulated by the affected nerve, begins to become covered with a characteristic rash and becomes verypainful. Infection with this pathological infection occurs through contact with people with chickenpox or shingles. Shingles in the elderly is more severe and more difficult to treat.
Medical science knows three main ways of pathogen transmission:
- Airborne, when a person can become infected while being close to 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 contact with patients, the chance of getting sick is not too high.
- Contact method - with 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 he althy person touched the rashes on the patient's skin.
- Transplacental route, when a woman during pregnancy suffers from 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 get infected with 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, but it can persist for a very long time at low temperatures. Beforeconsider 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 suffer chickenpox - a disease after which the causative agent of herpes infection remains in the body forever.
Under the influence of some provoking factors, this viral microorganism wakes up and attacks the body again.
The causes of herpes zoster are:
- Treatment with medications whose active ingredients can cause suppression of the body's immune defenses.
- Transplantation of bone marrow or any organs.
- Radiation and chemotherapy.
- Frequent stress and nervous excitement.
- General or local hypothermia.
- The presence of some oncological pathologies, for example, lymphogranulomatosis.
- Long-term use of antibacterial drugs or glucocorticosteroids.
- HIV and AIDS.
Also, pregnant women and the elderly have a very high risk of getting this pathology.
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 acute respiratory disease, despite the fact that in some cases there are violations of the gastrointestinal tract -nausea, stool changes.
Simultaneously 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.
Adult herpes zoster tends to get worse over the course of several days:
- 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.
The elements of such rashes have certain stages of development. Initially, with the disease, herpes zoster, the formation of pink spots is observed, then vesicles form, located in small groups. After a few days, these elements begin to dry out, and crusts form in their place, which gradually peel off over the course of a month.
Herpetic infection can affect not only the skin, but also some cells of the nervous system, so the disease proceeds with severe neuralgic symptoms:
- Bouts of severe, burning spasmodic pain that usually occurs at night or during rest.
- Impaired muscle control in areas where nerves are affected.
- Disturbances in the work of sensitive fibers, after which their pathological sensitivity occurs, or,on the contrary, its absence in specific areas of the skin.
The patient feels unwell until the blisters 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.
Classification of pathology
In addition to the main characteristic clinical picture of this disease, there are so-called atypical forms of the development of herpes zoster on the body, which are the following pathologies:
- Bullous (blistering) form of herpes, when small vesicles (vesicles) merge with each other and form one large vesicle, which is most often filled not with serous contents, as originally, but with hemorrhagic, that is, contains blood.
- The abortive form is one of the mildest 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 reverse order - to the stage of pink spots.
- A gangrenous form of herpes zoster that most commonly affects the elderly and those with diabetes. This form of the disease is characterized by the fact that soft tissue necrosis develops at the site of the rash, followed by the formation of scars.
- Generalized form of infection, characterized by the fact 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 alongthroughout 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 that are unique 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 a generalized variety of herpes, a specialist needs to know whether a person had chickenpox in childhood or not. If he was ill, it means that at the moment he has herpes, since a person has chickenpox more than once in his life. In addition, it is very important to know if the patient had contact with a person infected with this type of infectious disease. If such contacts were present, then most likely the patient also became infected through precisely such interactions.
Treatment of herpes zoster by folk methods
Treatment of this pathology by traditional medicine methods should be carried out under the supervision of specialists, however, a person must understand that the better the treatment of a herpes infection, the less likely there are complications in the future. For the treatment of herpes at home, as a rule, a variety of herbal remedies are used.infusions and decoctions that 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 treatment is used for herpes zoster?
Drug therapy for disease
In order to cure the 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 will subsequently be able to independently cope with outbreaks of herpes infection. Medicines used in the treatment of this disease include:
- Antiviral drugs, for example, "Acyclovir" for herpes zoster, which show a therapeutic effect only in the first days of the onset of the disease. Subsequently, their use does not bring, as a rule, any result. Such drugs affect the causative agent of the infection, preventing the infection from multiplying and developing.
- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs such as Meloxicam. They fight inflammation, lower the temperature and eliminate pain.
- Sedatives and antidepressants like Nitrosan. Similar funds are prescribed in order to improve the patient's sleep and his emotional state. The use of such drugs is very important, since itching of skin areaslesions are activated precisely at night.
- Antihistamine medications such as Zodak, which can significantly reduce or completely eliminate the unpleasant manifestations of itchy skin.
- 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 fluid in the form of saline and glucose is possible. At the same time, it is possible to use diuretic drugs, however, the patient must follow certain rules of the drinking regimen. Such therapy allows you to quickly release the body from toxins released during the life of herpes viruses.
- Skin lesions 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 kinds of bacteria through the damaged areas, as well as speed up the drying and separation of the elements of the rash.
The consequences of herpes zoster can be very serious.
Consequences
If you do not seek help in time, complications may develop. The most common are constant pain at the site of the rash.
Consequences also count:
- loss of sensitivity in the area of localization of the elements of the rash;
- vision problem and inflammationeyeballs;
- purulent discharge from dried blisters;
- decreased activity of the lower and upper limbs, paralysis;
- internal organs and mucous membranes may suffer;
- paralysis of the nerves on the face;
- pneumonia;
- fetal infection, miscarriage and stillbirth can occur during pregnancy.
Prevention
Prevention of herpes zoster as such in medical practice does not exist. There is a special vaccine, but doctors say it is not advisable to use it, since its effect is designed for a short period of time.
If a person often suffers from manifestations of the herpes virus, then the best prevention for him will be to keep the immune system active. To do this, you should avoid hypothermia, eat right, give up negative habits and try not to be nervous, because stress greatly depresses the immune defense. In addition, during periods of hypovitaminosis, the use of special complex vitamin preparations is recommended.
