Herpes Zoster

Herpes Zoster is commonly known as "shingles".  It is a disease that usually affects one of the nerves that wraps around the torso, called a thoracic dermatome.  It usually begins with pain or rash in a band around the torso, on one side.  The rash looks like chicken pox, and in fact the cause is the same virus that causes chicken pox.  The virus lays latent in the nerve cell from the time of childhood chicken pox.

It usually strikes in middle aged or elderly populations, immunosuppression may bethe trigger.

The main problem is pain, which can outlast the rash from weeks to months.  It is important to seek medical attention early in order to receive appropriate treatment.  The symptoms are manageable through medication.