[이데일리 이순용 기자] The exceptionally hot summer is almost over, but the hot weather still continues with the highest temperature reaching 30 degrees. Even if it’s hot outside and you’re sweating, many people worry about getting an air conditioner or cold when they enter the room or are in a place where the air conditioning is turned on to the point where it’s cold when using public transportation. Along with this, shingles is a disease to be wary of when immunity is low.
◇ Diseases most common in July-September
Shingles is a disease that occurs when the varicella-zoster virus remains dormant in the nerve ganglion after primary infection and becomes active again when the immune system is weakened. In particular, many patients occur from July to September. In fact, according to the statistics of the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service, the number of patients who visited the hospital for shingles in 2021 and 2022 was the highest in August in both years. Regarding the reason why it often occurs in the summer, Kangdong Kyunghee University Hospital Dermatology Professor Kwon Soon-hyo explained, “If the temperature difference between indoor and outdoor is large due to air conditioning, it is easy for immunity to decrease and the number of patients increases.”
◇ Elderly patients, high possibility of complications such as facial paralysis
The most affected age group is adults over the age of 50 with a weakened immune system. According to a study that analyzed the incidence of shingles in Korea from 2010 to 2016, the number of patients with shingles increased by 43% from 485,544 in 2010 to 692,266 in 2016. By age, the most common patients were in their 60s and 70s. Depending on the site of shingles, complications such as ocular herpes zoster, facial paralysis, and neurogenic bladder inability to urinate may occur. In addition, complications such as generalized herpes zoster and encephalitis may occur in elderly patients, especially immunosuppressed patients. Above all, elderly patients with shingles are at high risk of postherpetic neuralgia, so it is important to treat them early.
◇ If the tingling pain continues to appear in a specific area, careful observation is required.
Pain in the affected area may occur several days before the skin rash appears. It may be accompanied by systemic symptoms such as mild fever and muscle pain. It is difficult to suspect shingles with these symptoms alone before a skin rash occurs. However, if the tingling pain occurs on one side, it is necessary to observe carefully with the possibility of shingles in mind. After that, red spots appear along the nerve, followed by multiple blisters in clusters. The blisters change for 10 to 14 days, and as the pus fills up, they become cloudy and then turn into scabs. Ulcers may form when blisters burst, for example by contact. Usually, after about 2 weeks, scabs form and symptoms improve.
◇ Antiviral injection treatment, neuralgia can last for several years after treatment
Rapid administration of antiviral agents can inhibit the growth of the varicella-zoster virus. Initially, it is important to inject or take antiviral treatment for one week, and to prevent future neuralgia by reducing the degree of nerve damage caused by the virus. Appropriate analgesic administration can be considered for acute pain, and anticonvulsants and antidepressants can also be used. Even after treatment, postherpetic neuralgia often lasts up to several years, so appropriate treatment is needed.
Since shingles is a latent virus that becomes active as immunity declines or gets older, there is currently no preventive method other than vaccination. Professor Kwon Soon-hyo said, “The recent herpes zoster vaccine (Singlix), which came into Korea, has a preventive effect of over 90%. For those over 50 years of age, the shingles vaccine is recommended for prevention.”
2023-09-01 23:34:56
#hot #cold #inside.. #shortcut #shingles
