2024-07-13 08:00:00
Reactivation of the virus is observed most often after 50 years of age.
How does he wake up?
According to our specialist, “Shingles can reactivate later in life, due to significant stress, immunotherapy or simply with age. In fact, reactivation of the virus is observed most often after 50 years of age or when the immune system is weakened. » That is why the two main risk factors for shingles are age and immunity related to illness or treatment.
What are the symptoms?
The virus will grow along nerve endings. “It will then be responsible for a very characteristic eruption, which we call a dermome. The thing about shingles is not the severity of the rash itself, but that it destroys the nerves, causing constant pain after the rash. This pain, of neurological origin, known as post-herpetic pain, is difficult to treat and represents the seriousness of this pathology. They can also last for several months. »
Complications are very painful
This is why this infection can be devastating because of its complications. The most common is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), long-term nerve pain, in 5 to 30% of shingles cases. “Patients report pain that is sometimes excruciating. They can manifest themselves as burns and electric shocks. They require special care and significantly change the quality of life of the patients. »
Professor Odile Launay also mentions a specific complication. “There is also ocular shingles, which can lead to severe ophthalmological damage and reduced visual acuity. » Finally, these complications affect more elderly and immunocompromised people. It is highly recommended to discuss the topic of shingles with your doctor,” she concludes.
Shingles in numbers
– 90% of the population has already been exposed to the smallpox virus.
– Annual incidence of cases seen in general medicine consultations: 243,475 cases.
– Annual incidence rate estimated at 366 cases per 1000,00 inhabitants.
– During their lifetime, 30% of the population may have at least one case of shingles.
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