SAY ni DOK | Herpes zoster o shingles
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00:00 According to the Center for Disease Control or CDC,
00:03 one in three people can have shingles or culebra in their lifetime.
00:09 But most of us are not familiar with this disease.
00:12 Because of that, we will have a free telemedicine
00:15 in the same e-doc about this disease.
00:17 And we will be joined again by Dr. Via Roderos,
00:20 a general physician.
00:21 Doc Via, welcome back to Rise and Shine Philippines.
00:24 Nice to have you again.
00:24 Good morning, Rise and Shine, Ms. Diane, Ms. Chi,
00:27 and happy National Heroes Day to all of us.
00:30 You are like doctors, you are like our heroes.
00:33 Modern day heroes, actually.
00:35 Doc, what is herpes zoster or shingles?
00:38 Or in Tagalog, culebra.
00:41 And what is the reason why we have this?
00:43 So that's a good question.
00:45 Because herpes zoster or shingles,
00:49 is a virus or viral infection
00:53 that can be contracted if you've already had chickenpox.
00:59 So the virus that causes herpes zoster
01:03 comes from the virus that causes chickenpox.
01:07 What happens when we have herpes zoster,
01:12 the virus, chickenpox,
01:16 when you have it, it can be with you for many years.
01:20 It becomes latent.
01:22 It can go to our nerves.
01:24 And if it's reactivated,
01:26 if it has an inciting factor
01:32 that activates the virus,
01:34 you can have shingles.
01:36 So if you haven't had chickenpox,
01:39 your chances are lesser.
01:41 You can't have herpes zoster.
01:44 I saw a lot of photos,
01:45 it's like a bird's nest.
01:48 It's like a bird's nest.
01:49 Is it painful when you have it?
01:51 That's actually a good question.
01:52 I can share my experience.
01:54 Because when I was younger,
01:56 I actually had this particular disease.
02:00 What happened was,
02:02 the first symptoms that manifested were the pain.
02:05 My herpes zoster was here on my face.
02:09 The first thing I noticed was the pain
02:12 on the side of my face,
02:13 on the side of my head.
02:15 And then after a few days,
02:16 I noticed the rash.
02:18 Which is usually common
02:20 for people with herpes zoster.
02:22 You might not notice the rash,
02:24 it's just red.
02:26 But the first thing you'll notice
02:28 is that the skin is a bit sensitive.
02:31 Especially if you have herpes zoster.
02:32 And the unique feature
02:36 of people with herpes zoster
02:37 is that it's only on one side of the body.
02:39 Because the pattern is very neural.
02:42 It affects the nerves more importantly.
02:45 That's what you need to remember.
02:46 You mentioned earlier that
02:48 the virus can reactivate.
02:51 What's the reason why it can reactivate?
02:54 How many times can you have this shingles?
02:57 Okay.
02:57 It's important to know that
03:01 this virus comes from chickenpox.
03:03 For example, when you were a kid,
03:06 you got chickenpox.
03:07 After many, many years,
03:10 it lives in your nerves.
03:15 If you have an immunocompromised state,
03:18 for example,
03:19 an old person with a severe illness,
03:23 the virus can reactivate.
03:25 Or like me,
03:26 during that time, I was so stressed
03:28 because of school, everything, work.
03:30 You might have herpes zoster.
03:33 What can actually be an inciting factor
03:36 to have stress?
03:38 If your immunity is down,
03:40 or if you have conditions
03:43 that can make you sicker
03:46 or can make you stressed,
03:48 that's what causes herpes zoster.
03:50 Who are the people
03:52 who are at risk of having shingles?
03:56 That's a good follow-up question, Ms. Chi.
03:58 I said earlier that
04:01 the inciting factor is stress.
04:03 Or those who are in an immunocompromised state.
04:06 It means if you have a severe illness,
04:09 for example, a terminal stage of cancer,
04:12 or any other terminal stage illness,
04:14 we usually see this in the elderly.
04:18 Or in children who are already sick
04:22 because it actually affects
04:25 not only your nerves but also your immunity.
04:28 Those people will be at risk
04:31 for having herpes zoster.
04:32 Can I get vaccinated
04:34 so that I won't have herpes zoster?
04:38 That's actually one of the preventive measures.
04:41 To prevent herpes zoster,
04:48 there are vaccines available.
04:51 And of course, for children,
04:52 to prevent chickenpox,
04:55 vaccines are still important.
04:58 Let's follow the schedule
04:59 of the National Immunization Program.
05:03 That's important.
05:04 But doc, is the vaccine for shingles
05:06 specifically for shingles
05:08 or is it included in the chickenpox?
05:10 Usually, you get a booster
05:12 or you get vaccinated for that
05:15 because you had shingles.
05:17 You can have it.
05:18 In other countries,
05:20 they use shing-varics.
05:23 But we give it to children.
05:26 Usually, children are followed
05:29 as part of the routine immunization.
05:33 How long does it take for shingles
05:35 to occur in an individual?
05:38 That's important
05:39 because we should minimize the pain.
05:42 It can last for 3 to 5 to 6 weeks.
05:44 It's a bit long.
05:46 The pain also disappears after a while.
05:49 I remember before,
05:51 I would wake up because of the pain.
05:54 That's how painful it is.
05:56 But it's not as life-threatening
05:58 as other diseases.
06:00 It should still be controlled
06:01 because I had to miss work
06:05 or I had to miss classes because of it.
06:07 If the symptoms are not controlled,
06:10 our productivity can be affected.
06:14 Is it contagious?
06:15 If it is, how long will you be contagious?
06:19 It's important.
06:22 Part of the measures we should take,
06:24 especially if we have people at home,
06:28 is to isolate them because it's contagious
06:30 through direct contact.
06:33 If you lie down on a pillow,
06:37 you may get a virus.
06:41 But if you haven't had chickenpox,
06:45 you may get chickenpox.
06:52 Are there possible complications
06:54 if a person has shingles?
06:57 This is very common for people with shingles.
07:02 Post-herpetic neuralgia is when you're already sick.
07:05 After a few weeks,
07:07 you're no longer sick or have no symptoms.
07:10 But the pain is still there.
07:12 It's like a current of pain that usually happens.
07:15 You think you're not sick anymore.
07:18 But that can be a complication of shingles,
07:23 post-herpetic neuralgia.
07:25 Apart from that,
07:27 skin lesions, for example,
07:29 if we don't take care of it,
07:30 there may be factors that make us prone to infection.
07:37 Especially since there are blisters.
07:40 So, if we're not observant about our hygiene,
07:45 we may get infected.
07:47 So, antibiotics are the answer.
07:50 Is that how you treat antibiotics?
07:53 Yes, if there's an infection.
07:55 But for herpes zoster,
07:57 you can actually treat it with antivirals.
08:01 I used to use Valacyclovir and Aciclovir.
08:05 Those kinds of diseases.
08:07 But since it's viral,
08:09 if we can keep our immune system healthy,
08:12 we can fight this disease
08:14 without the help of antivirals.
08:16 But I would suggest to have antivirals
08:20 to at least lessen the time you get sick.
08:25 Because it's really painful.
08:27 Maybe we should get vaccinated.
08:31 To avoid it.
08:32 Because some people are immunocompromised.
08:34 Doc, any message or reminder for our KRS-P?
08:38 Thank you so much for having me.
08:40 And of course, to our viewers,
08:43 prevention is still important.
08:45 Again, prevention is better than cure.
08:47 We should be observant about our feelings.
08:50 And it's important to always keep in mind
08:53 the things that keep us healthy.
08:55 Especially, getting vaccinated.
08:57 Preventing us from getting sick.
08:59 And of course, it will lead us to a healthier, happier life.
09:01 Alright. Thank you so much for Libreng Telemed.
09:05 We had Dr. Via Roderos again.
09:07 Another general physician.
09:09 Again, thank you.
09:10 Thank you, Dr. Via.
09:11 See you again soon.
09:12 Thank you, Ms. Chi, Ms. Diane.