Up to twenty percent of the population is affected by shingles, officially known as herpes zoster. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox. It attacks adults who had chickenpox as children but whose immune system has weakened due to increasing age, illness, drugs, radiation therapy, or even physical or emotional stress. This book shows the reader how early recognition of shingles, along with the use of the newest antiviral drugs, can hasten recovery from shingles and its complications. It also discusses recent developments in preventing shingles through the use of a varicella vaccine, once thought to be limited in duration but now widely prescribed.
Up to twenty percent of the population is affected by shingles, officially known as herpes zoster. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox. It attacks adults who had chickenpox as children but whose immune system has weakened due to increasing age, illness, drugs, radiation therapy, or even physical or emotional stress. This book shows the reader how early recognition of shingles, along with the use of the newest antiviral drugs, can hasten recovery from shingles and its complications. It also discusses recent developments in preventing shingles through the use of a varicella vaccine, once thought to be limited in duration but now widely prescribed.
