SHINGLES (Herpes Zoster): Progress has been made!

Shingles is a household term these days. The medical term is Herpes Zoster. Everyone over age sixty likely knows someone who has had a case of Shingles. An estimated 500,000 Americans per year get Herpes Zoster, and up to one per hundred adults per year if you are older than 65. Worldwide, it's a huge problem that, while usually non-fatal, can cause terrible suffering.

The amazing development is that advances have been made in the vaccine arena that could almost make Herpes Zoster a thing of the past. See end of this posting.

In my 25-plus years in dermatology, I’ve frequently observed Herpes Zoster (Shingles) misdiagnosed, even by dermatologists, which delays treatment and leads to protracted and debilitating pain. The pain and suffering that comes from Herpes Zoster is underappreciated by doctors and patients alike. Furthermore, patients with suppressed immune systems (AIDS, organ transplant patients, certain malignancies) can develop life-threatening illness from Herpes Zoster when it spreads throughout the body.

Fortunately, if caught early enough, there are excellent treatments for Herpes Zoster. Diagnosing it early is not always easy. In addition to treating the ‘rash’ after it starts, there is a new vaccine that promises to prevent cases of Herpes Zoster. For us aging baby boomers, that is a real advance. Ads for Shingrix are plastered all over television because doctors haven't recognized that the vaccine has huge benefit.

So, what is Herpes Zoster and how can it be recognized, treated, and prevented?

Herpes Zoster comes from the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, called Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV). After childhood chickenpox, the Varicella viruses (probably millions of them) become dormant and retreat to nerves in the spinal cord where they remain for the rest of our lives. With aging, or in the setting of certain diseases, immunity against VZV weakens, and the virus can become reactivated. When it does, instead of reactivating throughout the entire body, it reactivates in one nerve ‘root’ only. This single nerve root reactivation is what causes Herpes Zoster.

Herpes Zoster blisters on the right arm

small cluster of blister on the neck

DIAGNOSIS: Because only one nerve root is involved, the rash of Herpes Zoster happens on one side of the body along the path of a nerve, hence, one side of the face, across one side of the trunk, down one side of the arm, etc. In dermatology, we learn that with any new rash on one side of the body, we MUST consider Herpes Zoster as a possible diagnosis. Even with new-onset of pain without a rash along the path of one nerve, we have to think about early Herpes Zoster. The reverse is also true: any new skin rash involving both sides of the body or multiple limbs is probably NOT Herpes Zoster. Typically in Herpes Zoster, pain/burning/tingling usually comes first, followed in 24 to 48 hours by small red bumps and fluid-filled blisters where the nerve branches up to the skin.

TREATMENT: Early treatment limits the severity of Herpes Zoster in most cases. Once the rash of blisters and pain are established, it is too late, and treatment can only be directed toward reducing pain, not preventing it.

Three anti-viral drugs exist to treat Herpes Zoster: acyclovir, valacyclovir, and famciclovir. The latter two achieve much higher blood levels orally and are the treatments of choice. The first drug, acyclovir, has excellent anti-viral activity against the other Herpes virus called Herpes Simplex, but is less effective as an oral drug against Herpes Zoster. Patients with poor kidney function require lower doses.

The key to successful treatment is to treat early. This means patients need to seek help early and doctors need to have a high index of suspicion and institute treatment based on probability, not proof of the diagnosis. There is little to no risk to patients in treating in this manner, but delaying treatment can lead to months or even years of misery, pain, and disability. Doctors who see emergency or walk-in patients are the ones best able to help patients with evolving Herpes Zoster.

In severe or untreated cases, patients are often left with protracted pain called ‘postherpetic neuralgia’. Although it usually improves slowly over time, it can be excruciatingly painful for weeks to months, sometimes years. Treatments can be helpful, but often require sophisticated combinations of pain killers, gabapentin-like drugs, anti-depression drugs, and occasional use of nerve blocks.



disseminated VZV

In patients with suppressed immune systems for any reason, Herpes Zoster can trigger a more wide-spread illness throughout the body that can be life-threatening. Again, early diagnosis and treatment with anti-viral drugs is life-saving.

PREVENTION: Back in 2006, a live vaccine against Herpes Zoster was approved in the U.S. The vaccine, called Zostavax®, is basically a larger-than-normal dose of the Chickenpox vaccine used routinely in children. Zostavax® has been shown to reduce by 50% the risk of getting Herpes Zoster. It also reduces the risk of the protracted postherpetic neuralgia by two-thirds. Every individual age 60 or older who qualifies should request and receive Zostavax®.

The recent development: Shingrix® is a vaccine made from molecular subunits of the chickenpox virus plus an immune enhancer.  It has been shown to be safe (no accidental infection) and highly effective for up to three years (so far) of protection. Two doses are given a few months apart, and the injection into the deltoid can produce significant pain. The cost is around $300 but because it is so effective, it is likely that insurers will cover the cost, and many countries already provide the vaccine as a public health initiative.

If you are over 60, get Shingrix vaccine against shingles!

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