Shingles is contagious or not? Shingles: causes

What is chickenpox, most people have known since childhood. Some have suffered the ailment themselves, others had acquaintances and friends "in green speckles." And already grown up, many believe in the myth that if they have recovered in childhood, this illness will not bother them more. But, unfortunately, this is only a myth. The virus of chickenpox remains in the human body and can manifest itself in the form of herpes zoster even after many decades. The clinical picture of the disease is characterized by damage to the skin and nervous system. Therefore, everyone should know whether shingles are contagious or not, what the symptoms of the disease are and how to treat it.

Causes of the manifestation of a disease

As already mentioned above, the provocateur of the disease is the varicella zoster virus, which remained in the ganglia of the spinal nerves and spinal nerve nodes after the chickenpox that was transferred earlier. Reactivation of herpesvirus, as a rule, occurs when the work of the immune system is disrupted after the transferred infections, physical trauma, hypothermia and stress.

Quite often in cancer patients who have undergone chemotherapy, shingles also appear. The causes of occurrence in such cases are quite logical, because such treatment strongly depresses immunity.

Primary symptomatology

This disease manifests itself more often in adults and people of advanced age than in children. Primary symptomatology can be atypical and characterized by severe itching, burning, tingling, as well as fever, chills, headache and even dyspepsia.

All of the above signs of the disease can manifest as a complex, or separately. In addition, the intensity of the symptoms can also be different and last from one to three days. It should be noted that herpes zoster in elderly people, or rather, the first symptomatology, can manifest itself much brighter than in patients of other age categories.

At this stage of the disease, the ailment is not transmitted by household contact.

The main signs of the disease

Against the background of primary symptoms on day 2-5, pink fuzzy spots appear on the skin. This defeat is accompanied by severe pain and discomfort. And at night, the pain and itching can be greatly increased.

After a while on the place of the rash appear bubbles, filled with a turbid purulent fluid. Answering the question about whether shingles are contagious or not at this stage, you can hesitate to answer yes.

Active phase of the disease

Over time, blisters begin to burst, and their contents are aborted outside. It is during this period that the disease is the most contagious. After a couple of days, the skin on the rash ground dries and forms a crust that peels off after 5-7 days.

If you do not perform complex treatment, the rash may appear repeatedly in the same places, and sometimes in other areas of the skin.

Specificity of infection

Like chicken pox, shingles are transmitted by contact and airborne droplets. Getting on the mucous membranes of a healthy person, the virus through the blood penetrates deep into the nerve fibers. And if a person previously did not suffer from chickenpox, then the disease manifests itself in the form of herpes zoster.

As for people whose bodies are already asleep, the probability of infection from the patient is low. After all, the immune system of such people copes independently with the oppression of their own virus. Exceptions can be attributed only to those cases of infection, when the patient is contacted by a person who only suffered a viral illness, a physical trauma or is in a stressed state.

The incubation period of the disease

As already mentioned above, herpesvirus can be in a sleeping state for many years in the human body. And only with a strong malfunction in the immune system - activated. Therefore, it is impossible to say unequivocally whether the shingles have an incubation period . After all, in some it can drag on for decades, in others the first signs can manifest in 10-25 days after contact with a sick person.

An interesting fact is that this causative agent in healthy people, who had not previously encountered it, causes chickenpox.

Risk group

Since shingles are a viral disease, it affects exactly those people whose immune system can not cope with it. And the first to fall into this group of risk are the children of the younger preschool and school age. After all, they are most often susceptible to various virus attacks.

The second place in the risk group by right belongs to people over 45 years of age. Natural age changes in the body have a detrimental effect on the state of the immune system, and if one or more chronic diseases are associated with them, there is absolutely nothing to talk about. It is also worth considering that chicken pox at this age is very dangerous. The clinical picture of the disease is characterized by a critical rise in temperature, severe itching and pain. Therefore, if one of the members of the family has chicken pox or shingles, the virus is contagious or not for other household members, it's hard to say unequivocally. Everything depends only on whether their immune system will be able to cope with the pathogen independently.

Tinea in cancer patients

To say that with oncological diseases the only way to treat is radiation and chemotherapy, probably, it is not worth it. But not everyone knows that such an effect on the body almost completely depresses the human immune system and makes his body vulnerable to various viruses. Therefore, the question of whether shingles is contagious or not for these people can be considered rhetorical.

HIV and herpes zoster

Often there is an ailment in patients with lymphogranulomatosis, leukemia, and also long-term receiving immunosuppressants and corticosteroids. But, according to medical statistics, the leaders in the risk group of this disease are people with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome. Against the background of this ailment, the Zoster virus is activated in 25% of cases and proceeds much more complicatedly than in other categories of patients.

In addition, when diagnosing HIV, patients are advised to read information about shingles, how to get infected and how to avoid infection if they have not previously had chickenpox. This knowledge in the future can greatly facilitate human life. After all, against the background of the acquired immunodeficiency virus, the ailment not only proceeds with complications, but it can also recur.

Consequences and Forecast

Like any other disease, shingles should be treated when the first symptomatology occurs. After all, in the severe course of the disease and extensive areas of damage, the consequences can be very complicated. These include paralysis of varying severity, both the facial nerve and the motor nerves. Possible as violations from the internal vital organs: pneumonia of both lungs, inflammatory processes of the gastrointestinal tract and the genitourinary system. If the disease affects the eyes, the consequences can be a significant reduction in visual acuity and optic neuritis.

Any form of this disease can provoke a disruption in the functioning of one or more body systems. However, the leader in this list is encephalitic herpes zoster. "Is it possible to contract this ailment with a contact or airborne droplet?" - a question that worries many. Therefore it is worth saying that the virus can hit any person, provided that its immune system does not fully perform its function. If a bacterial infection has joined the background of this form of the disease, the condition of the patient can aggravate suppurative processes. The period of treatment and recovery in such cases takes from a couple months to a year.

As for the forecast, it is favorable for mild and moderate forms. In addition, after complete recovery of relapses usually does not happen. But when the disease is severe, the body can not fully restore its functions.