Is Your Mom at Risk for Shingles?
Elderly Care in Centreville VA: Is Your Mom at Risk for Shingles?
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus. It affects those who have had chickenpox before and is a re-occurrence of the virus. When a person has shingles, they have an infection in a nerve and in the skin that the nerve supplies. Shingles is a common condition and occurs in one out of every three Americans at some point in their lives. Being knowledgeable about shingles can help you and your parent’s elderly care provider assist your parent through a case of the shingles and may help prevent shingles from ever occurring.
What are the risk factors for shingles?
First, a person must have had chickenpox in their lifetime to get shingles later in life. Since the chickenpox vaccine is relatively new, most older people have had chickenpox, which automatically puts them at risk for a reactivation of the virus. Other risk factors include:
- Age: People over the age of 50 are at greater risk, and the older a person gets the more likely they are to get shingles.
- Some Medications: Steroids, like prednisone, taken over a long period of time and medications used to prevent rejection of a transplanted organ increase the risk of shingles.
- Cancer Treatments: Chemotherapy and radiation reduce the body’s ability to resist infections, so they can bring on shingles.
- Some Diseases: Diseases that reduce the immune system’s ability to fight off infections put a person at greater risk.
What are the symptoms?
Most people feel as though they have the flu at first. Days or even weeks later, they start to feel a tingly, itchy sensation in a band where a rash will eventually develop. The rash could be anywhere on the body, but it develops only on one side of the body. The rash itself will be more painful than it is itchy and looks like blisters that later scab over.
Is shingles contagious?
Yes, shingles are contagious, but only to people who have never had chickenpox. This is because once you have had the virus, it stays in your body forever, so you cannot give the virus to someone who has had chickenpox because they already have it. People who have not had chickenpox and are exposed to a person with shingles can develop chickenpox. Because shingles is contagious, if your parent has shingles, it is important to check with those who come in close contact with them, such as their elderly care provider, to see if they have had chickenpox in the past.
Can shingles be prevented?
The good news is that there are vaccines available that may prevent shingles. Adults who have never had chickenpox should receive the varicella vaccination. Those who have had shingles should receive the varicella-zoster vaccine to help prevent a case of the shingles. Neither vaccination is 100% effective, but they can reduce the risk of getting shingles. People who are aged 60 and older should be vaccinated whether they have had shingles or not.
If you or an aging loved one are considering elderly care in Centreville, VA, call the caring staff at Medical Professionals On Call today. 703-273-8818
Sources:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/154912.php
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/basics/risk-factors/con-20019574
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-symptoms#1
http://www.healthline.com/health/shingles-contagious?m=0#overview1
Medical Professionals On Call has such a caring, professional staff who are available to step in with whatever level of care necessary for loved ones and to relieve you of that stress.
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