My mother gets recurring episodes of shingles, what can she do about it?

John P.

Dear John:

“Shingles” is a lay term for ca condition called herpes zooster. Herpes zooster is viral disease recognized by a line or row of painful  blisters that form a characteristic skin rash. The herpes zooster virus is the same virus that many years earlier as a child, caused chicken pox, varicella zoster virus (VZV).

The chicken pox stage of this virus causes an acute and short-lived illness which looks very much like herpes zooster except that it is not nearly as organized. Rather than affecting a single group of nerve cells as herpes zooster does, chicken pox is more general often covering large areas of the body.

After the chicken pox illness has run its course the herpes zooster virus embeds itself in superficial nerves throughout the surface of the skin. Here it can lay dormant for many years only t be activated by some stress full event and create “shingles.” For more information about Chicken Pox or Herpes zooster, click on these terms.

When John tells his mother has had many reoccurrences of shingles he offers a clue that what is happening to mother may not be actually be shingles for shingles rarely occurs twice, more rarely occurs three times and almost never occurs more than three times.

More likely than “shingles” mother may be suffering from plain old “herpes.” The herpes virus is a first cousin to herpes zooster, often looks just like it and is frequently very difficult to tell apart except that herpes is recurrent and herpes zooster is usually not.

John, the next time mother has a breakout take her to her medical doctor and ask him to do a herpes culture of the fluid from the blisters. If it is positive for herpes type one or type two, it will make the diagnosis of herpes. If it is negative, as herpes zooster often is, it will make the case for herpes zooster. It is important however, that mother have the culture done within 48 hours of the onset of rash (especially to break out of the blisters) and other symptoms. If she waits more than 72 hours the culture may be negative as it often is and no diagnosis will them be able to be made.

Allen Lawrence, M.D.

For more information about Allen Lawrence, M.D. click here