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[골프타임즈] Kim (64) could not sleep well for several days due to muscle pain and fatigue that did not go away even after the Lunar New Year holidays. She thought it was a flu, so she took a break, but she felt a stabbing pain in her shoulder and arm with an awl, and she went to the hospital. Her diagnosis revealed she had shingles.
Severely painful shingles usually occurs in people over the age of 60. It is a disease that appears when immunity is deficient due to overwork, stress, or other diseases, and can occur in all ages, including those in their 20s and 30s, in addition to the elderly.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus that you had as a child. Chickenpox, once infected, does not leave the body and moves to the nerve root part, the ganglion, and lies dormant. During the incubation period, it does not cause any special symptoms, but when immunity is weakened, the virus is reactivated and causes inflammation along the nerves.
At the beginning of the outbreak, cold body aches, muscle pain, chills, fever, lethargy, and fatigue, followed by pain and itching along the nerve distribution area. Depending on the degree of pain, depending on the person, if it is severe, it can complain of extreme pain like being cut with a knife even to the extent of brushing the skin. Rashes and blisters appear as painful areas, and skin rashes appear only on one side. In healthy people, only one skin segment is invaded, mainly on the face and thoracic spine.
Shingles is an incurable disease with severe pain. Among them, postherpetic neuralgia refers to cases in which the pain persists for more than 4 months after the rash disappears. As a form of sequelae, it is highly likely to be implemented when the intensity of acute pain is high, the degree of rash is severe, or when there are severe prodromal symptoms before rash. Chronic pain, such as neuralgia, has a great impact on the quality of life, and can cause emotional problems and disabilities as well as physical pain.
In the early stages of shingles, antiviral drugs can be administered to prevent neuralgia and reduce pain. If chronic complications such as neuralgia have already occurred, treatment (nerve block surgery/biocurrent) is necessary because it can directly affect bodily functions.
Shingles can lead to serious sequelae as early treatment is delayed, so it is better to be treated when symptoms appear. In particular, care should be taken for the elderly, who are prone to weakening, or for those whose immunity has declined after the new coronavirus infection (Corona 19).
Shingles, which is easy to occur when the body is weak, is good to boost immunity. It is important to manage extreme fatigue and stress well and have good habits such as sufficient rest, regular exercise, smoking cessation, and sobriety.
Help: Gyeong-Woo Park, Director of Seoul Gwanghye Hospital
Reporter Moon Jeong-ho [email protected]
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