Postherpetic Neuralgia Causes and Treatment
Richard Sutter
May 20, 2007
Though chicken pox is never fatal and is not much more than a bit of a bother, but if the bigger picture is taken into consideration then it will be found that the virus that causes chicken pox is not so innocent after all. Because the virus remains in the body even after the symptoms are gone and tends to come back at a later stage – sometimes years later. The virus comes back and causes the Shingles disease. Postherpetic Neuralgia is a complication of the Shingles disease. Postherpetic Neuralgia is something that almost never attacks anyone who is not at least 50 years of age. But according to estimates, as many as half of all people who are 60 and above get affected and this figure goes up sharply to 75% when people who are above 70 are considered.
Yes definitely and it is actually very painful. After remaining dormant for years, when the virus becomes active again, it begins its journey from the nerve fibers, and when this happens, the pain starts as well. This is basically a neuropathic nerve pain. The pain originates because the nerve fibers become damages and thus fail to send electrical signals to the brain. Slowly but surely the blisters and rashes begin to appear. Actually when the disease comes with pain, it is referred to as Postherpetic Neuralgia – as otherwise, shingles is not really that painful. In Postherpetic Neuralgia, the pain becomes even more severe when there is a touch on the blisters or they get pressed.
The pain is usually acute to begin with, but with time it begins to go down. But sometimes, the pain can last for months and even years and when this happens, Postherpetic Neuralgia becomes truly unbearable.
Is there a connection between age and Postherpetic Neuralgia? Researchers are saying that there is because there is unmistakable evidence. The chicken pox virus and shingles usually reactivate after years and when the person is in the middle age, but in most cases the patient gets shingles and not Postherpetic Neuralgia. But only of the person is relatively older, is there a greater chance that the virus will come back as Postherpetic Neuralgia and not shingles. So the more the age, the greater the chance of getting affected with Postherpetic Neuralgia and not shingles.
Statistics say that there are in excess of 1,000,000 people in the US alone who suffer from the shingles disease. Out of all those people having shingles, about 20% cases develop into Postherpetic Neuralgia or PHN as it is also known as.
Since Postherpetic Neuralgia is so inconvenient and because of the fact that it can keep paining for months, medical treatment becomes essential. And the treatment should be opted for as early as possible to reduce further complexities.
Why suffer from Postherpetic Neuralgia? There are natural remedies available that can offer relief and cure the symptoms quickly.
Yes definitely and it is actually very painful. After remaining dormant for years, when the virus becomes active again, it begins its journey from the nerve fibers, and when this happens, the pain starts as well. This is basically a neuropathic nerve pain. The pain originates because the nerve fibers become damages and thus fail to send electrical signals to the brain. Slowly but surely the blisters and rashes begin to appear. Actually when the disease comes with pain, it is referred to as Postherpetic Neuralgia – as otherwise, shingles is not really that painful. In Postherpetic Neuralgia, the pain becomes even more severe when there is a touch on the blisters or they get pressed.
The pain is usually acute to begin with, but with time it begins to go down. But sometimes, the pain can last for months and even years and when this happens, Postherpetic Neuralgia becomes truly unbearable.
Is there a connection between age and Postherpetic Neuralgia? Researchers are saying that there is because there is unmistakable evidence. The chicken pox virus and shingles usually reactivate after years and when the person is in the middle age, but in most cases the patient gets shingles and not Postherpetic Neuralgia. But only of the person is relatively older, is there a greater chance that the virus will come back as Postherpetic Neuralgia and not shingles. So the more the age, the greater the chance of getting affected with Postherpetic Neuralgia and not shingles.
Statistics say that there are in excess of 1,000,000 people in the US alone who suffer from the shingles disease. Out of all those people having shingles, about 20% cases develop into Postherpetic Neuralgia or PHN as it is also known as.
Since Postherpetic Neuralgia is so inconvenient and because of the fact that it can keep paining for months, medical treatment becomes essential. And the treatment should be opted for as early as possible to reduce further complexities.
Why suffer from Postherpetic Neuralgia? There are natural remedies available that can offer relief and cure the symptoms quickly.
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