Herpes Zoster can cause chronic pain; see advances in treatment – Vida Plena

Read too

• Surgeries to treat breast cancer: when are they necessary?

• Music therapy can help the performance of patients who need to improve communication

• Is soda bad for your heart? Understand how drinking can trigger heart problems

Infectious and acute disease, the Herpes Zoster is the reactivation of the Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV), which initially transmits the chickenpox. After affecting the patient with this initial disease, he becomes dormant in the spinal regionmore precisely in the dorsal ganglia, and is generally awakened in adulthood or in people with compromised immunitywho have chronic diseases, such as diabetes and hypertension.

According to the Ministry of Health, the incidence of Herpes Zoster in Brazil must be at least 3 million cases, annually. In the country, hospitalizations by age group are concentrated in children up to 9 years old. However, the adults are at greater risk of developing complications, hospitalization and death.

The anesthesiologist at Jayme da Fonte Hospital, Rodrigo Philippe Alvesexplains that the disease, popularly known as coppercause severe pain that can last decades. The affected regions will present blisters and vesicles that itch and hurt. It is possible that there will be a complication in the clinical picture.

“A [complicação] The most common is postherpetic neuralgia. It can affect 10% to 30% of individuals who develop Herpes Zoster, and causes chronic pain that can persist for up to 20 years. Another important complication is the virus affecting the front portion of the face, in the eye region, causing keratitis and conjunctivitis, which can lead to blindness”, he explains.

Care and treatments
The patient must wash your hands before and after handling the injury. If you notice that the bubbles are bursting, You must cover the area to prevent the liquid from leaking, as it contains the virus. Treatment of mild cases is done with antivirals, with varying periods, from seven to ten days, and may be associated with the use of corticosteroids, depending on the severity. Also it is possible to resort to opioid medications or simple analgesics. Which will say, for sure, the way of caring for the patient is the degree of the disease.

“For cases of post-herpetic neuralgia, treatment is based on anticonvulsant medications, which may help with some types of medications that are used for depression”, adds the anesthesiologist.

Protection
To avoid the spread of Herpes Zoster, the best way is to chickenpox vaccinationwith the immunizer tetraviral, which protects, in addition to this disease, from mumps and rubella. In 2013, the Ministry of Health introduced this protection into the vaccination routine for children between 15 months and 2 years who have already been immunized with the first dose of the vaccine triple viral (measles, mumps and rubella).

“It is also important to isolate these patients. It is an infectious disease that can be transmitted through the air, saliva secretions and contact with the contents of the vesicles. Keeping them away from pregnant women who are in the second trimester is also important, because the virus can cause fetal malformations”, he concluded.

Listen to the podcast

See too

lotteries

With numbers from the “Lost” series, 66 bets from Pernambuco hit the corner of Mega

BRAZIL

COP30: Lula announces investment by Itaipu in revitalizing Belém to host climate summit