Shingles and Postherpetic Neuralgia
This section about shingles and postherpetic
neuralgia (PHN) pain is not intended as a comprehensive source
of medical information, but as a hub for links to other more
detailed sources.
If you find this section
useful, please support our Foundation by clicking
here.
Shingles is a a painful disease. It starts with a painful
and very tender rash with blisters. A quarter of cases occur
in the face. It is more common in the elderly and in people
whose resistance is low because of illness or stress. It is
caused by the chickenpox virus, which remains dormant int
he body after the chickenpox infection. Chickenpox usually
occurs in childhood. Children can catch chickenpox from an
adult with shingles, but you cannot catch shingles from someone
with chickenpox.
Shingles can be treated with antiviral medicaion provided
it is given within 3 days of the rash appearing.
Shingles, though very unpleasant, lasts only a few weeks.
However, there is a chance, especially in the elderly, of
developing a chronic nerve pain known as postherpetic neuralgia.
This is treatable with drugs.
If you have a pain problem, which needs treatment
you should contact your own doctor who can refer you to a
pain clinic in your area. This site is for information only
and cannot be treated as a substitute for the medical advice
of your own doctor. The Pain Relief Foundation is not able
to offer individual medical advice.
Dealing With Pain Series: Shingles & Post-Herpetic
Neuralgia
The Pain Relief Foundation has produced it's own leaflet
containing some simple information on shingles and PHN
pain which is available to download in PDF format:-
N.B. Requires Adobe
Acrobat Reader to view. If you don't have
the Acrobat reader you can download it here
|
Useful Websites:
There are many sites on the World Wide
Web offering information to people about chronic pain and
its treatment. The suggested links, to websites providing
such information, from this website are considered by the
doctors at the Pain Relief Foundation to be useful and informative.
If you know of a good web site about chronic pain then we
would be pleased to hear your recommendation.
The Pain Relief Foundation is not responsible
for the content of these web sites, and does not endorse any
commercial product or service mentioned or advised on these
sites.
Support Organisations in the UK:
- The
Shingles Support Society:
Help for people with pain following shingles PHN.
Offers an information pack including information pamphlets
for patients on shingles and PHN.
|
[top] |
