Causes of Herpes Zoster

Living with herpes can seem very difficult at times. It can mean adhering to a strict schedule of medicines and careful observation to control the outbreaks. But did you know that there is a difference in the types of herpes? The most common form of herpes zoster is commonly known as shingles. It is a viral infection that can control many people's lives leading them to always carefully cover up to avoid the embarrassment over the outbreak. You may have heard of shingles but do you really know what they are and how they occur?

Herpes zoster is caused by the varicella zoster virus. Shingles results from having chicken pox as a child, yet not everyone will develop shingles later in life. It is estimated that there are 1-3 cases out of 1,000 patients that have the shingles virus. It is not known who will develop shingles and who will not. Researchers are searching for common factors in patients with shingles that might indicate a predisposition for developing this strain.

The outbreak of shingles resembles raised, red patches of blisters that are painful to the touch. This bright, red path follows the ends of the neurons as the virus awakens from its dormant phase and travels down the nerves. It can cause many people embarrassment over the bright red patches not to mention it is very painful to the touch. This leads many people to shy away from contact with other people for fear of embarrassment.

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There is no cure for shingles but there are medications that can be taken to treat shingles and the subsequent outbreaks. These medicines help keep the virus dormant. It does not mean that you will not eventually suffer from a herpes outbreak as the virus awakens. It just means that the number of outbreaks will be considerably less and it may reduce the severity of the outbreak.

As you can see, living with herpes, especially herpes zoster, can prove to be difficult for the patient. But there is a ray of hope. In October of 2007, a vaccine was approved by the Federal Drug Administration to help control a herpes outbreak. Zostavax is a live vaccine that can be administered to patients before they develop zoster shingles. It is just one of the preventative medicines that are being worked on continuously to help stop shingles before they start. One other way to help prevent shingles is by increasing the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. Researchers do not know why this works but just that it does.

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