Save yourself from Shingles

Hosein and Gloor are third year medical students from UNMC who are completing their family medicine rotation in Sidney.

Leroy was a gruff man in his 70s who I met for the first time in clinic. “I’ve got a rash,” he said. His right arm supported his upper body on the armrest as he shifted his thin frame uncomfortably in the chair. Leroy normally avoided the doctorwhen getting sick. This was evident since his last clinic visit had been years ago. This time was different, he shared. He gingerly unbuttoned his shirt to reveal his rash. Red and raised, it was a cluster of tiny blisters and scabs that scattered like a band across his flank. In describing his pain, he said, “It’s like someone lit me on fire.”

Herpes zoster, commonly known as shingles, is a painful rash that affects one million people yearly. Caused by the same virus as chicken pox, shingles is the reactivation of that virus after it settles inside your nerve roots. Almost all Americans over 40 who were born in the U.S. have had chicken pox, putting them at risk for developing shingles. As we age, the risk increases. If suffering from a chronic health condition like lung disease or diabetes, the risk increases further. From the time shingles develops, it can last two to four weeks and have a significant impact on quality of life. It may even lead to serious complications including persistent pain even after the rash resolves, permanent scarring that can include the face, blindness, and stroke. The lifetime risk for getting shingles is roughly 30 percent, and it is estimated that $1 billion in direct medical costs is spent to treat the disease in the United States.

The shingles vaccine works. Approved for those 60 years old and over, it is delivered in one dose that can be given alongside your flu and pneumonia immunization. It decreases your risk of developing shingles by over half. It also decreases the length and severity of the disease by over 60% if you have an episode. It can also reduce the risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia, a complication of shingles that results in persistent and intractable pain for weeks, months, or even years. No matter if you’ve had shingles in the past, you can still benefit from vaccination.

Leroy had not gotten vaccinated, and he is not alone. In 2010, only 14.4 percent of eligible adults received the zoster vaccination. We did the only thing we could- treat his pain as much as possible. He would continue to hurt until the shingles ran its course. We can do better. If you are 60 or over, talk to your doctor or pharmacist about getting vaccinated.