What is Rabies?
July 5, 2018
Rabies
Since the 1990’s
rabies has been at the
source of “zombies”
throughout entertainment.
That if this goes untreated
you will essentially turn
into a zombie. This is not
true at all. If rabies goes
untreated you will die,
there are no chances for
survival without the
vaccination and even then,
it could still cause death if
you wait to long to receive
treatment. In society there
have been several movies
that portray what rabies is
and of course shows that
portray the zombie version.
Rabies is a serious virus
that will kill you if it goes
untreated and it takes a toll
on your mental and
physical health. How is
this virus spread?
What is Rabies?
Rabies is spread
from animals who have the
virus and they bite you and
this gets into your blood
stream. Rabies is the
United States is
statistically lower than
those around the world
with over 99% of deaths
taking place in Africa and
Asia (Lee, 2018). Rabies
not only affects wild
animals, but it can also
affect domesticated
animals as well which also
contracts back to humans if
they are bitten by an
affected animal.
Wilderness animals just
alone in the United States
that have been known for
carrying the disease are
coyotes, raccoons, bats,
skunks and foxes. The
signs and symptoms of
rabies include but are not
limited to: signs of the flu,
weakness, fever or
headache and they
typically last for a couple
of days. Other signs
include a rash or irritation
at the site of the bite,
confusion, dementia, and
as the disease progresses
people will also be
presented with insomnia
and hallucinations
(Johnson, 2015). There is
an acute period of the
disease for it to incubate
and that is anywhere from
day one to day ten. Once
these signs appear the
survival rate is almost
nonexistent (Johnson,
2015).
Effects of the
disease on healthy body
function
The effects of this
disease on a normal
functioning body are once
a person is bitten by an
infected animal the disease
travels within the blood
stream through the nerves
to the brain. Once the
disease has reached the
brain, the swelling of the
brain will immense and the
disease will multiply. This
will then travel from the
brain through the blood
stream to the salvia glands
(Johnson, 2015). This
process can take anywhere
from a week to several
weeks for this to be out of
the incubation period and
for signs to start showing.
An affected person will
usually die if untreated
after the symptoms have
been present for a week
(De Cruz Matos, 2017).
Prevention
The preventative
steps for this are to not
mess with any wildlife
animals that seem
disturbed or nocturnal
animals that come out
during the day, leave the
animal alone, and if you
suspect your own animals
has been bitten take them
to a veterinarian so they
can properly asses and
diagnose your pet before
the disease spreads. If you
have been bitten by an
animal that you suspect
might have rabies go to
your doctor immediately
and inform them, so they
can diagnose you.
Diagnostics in humans are
different than those in
animals as animals must be
euthanized to be tested and
samples of brain tissue are
used for the tests. In
humans, several tests are
run to rule out rabies these
include but are not limited
to spinal fluid tap, skin
biopsies and saliva testing
(Johnson, 2015).
Symptoms
Once someone has
been diagnosed with the
rabies disease This is
presented in the form of a
shot. “Several studies have
investigated the efficacy of
G protein (purified from
infected cells) for rabies
protection, since RABV G
protein is the major
determinant of viral
pathogenicity and is also
the major protective
antigen responsible for
inducing protective
immunity against rabies
(Shimao, Z., & Caiping,
G., 2016). If the disease is
caught in enough time
before it spreads than the
rabies vaccinations will
increase the chance of
survival.
Possible
Treatments
Future testing for a
cure suggests that nucleic
acid will be able to mimic
the live virus and provide a
higher survival rate. “Other
advantages of nucleic acidbased vaccines include
stability, low production
costs, ease of development
and purification, and
scaling up of production
being much simpler
compared to that of
purified protein vaccines
or viral vaccines” (Shimao,
& Caiping, 2016). There is
a study that is currently
being tested and that
involves taking antibiotics
along with getting the
rabies vaccination versus
just the rabies vaccination
(Rouphael, 2018). “RABV
undergoes relatively
frequent cross-species
transmission [8, 11, 13,
18], which provides an
opportunity to determine
whether host jumping
impacts rates of
evolutionary change”
(Troupin, 2016).
Conclusion
In conclusion, we
know that rabies is
transmitted through wild
animals that contain the
disease and humans can
contract the disease by
getting bit by the rabid
animals. We learned that if
we see an animal
displaying aggressive or
abnormal behaviors we
leave it alone and contact
our local animal control
officer or DNR. If our own
animal is bitten by an
animal, we need to take
them in and get them
tested so they don’t get the
disease. We also learned
that there is still no definite
cure for rabies as the
survival rate is not that
promising. There are
several options and studies
that are suggesting other
ways and methods for
testing and mimicking the
live virus for a higher
survival rate.
References:
Da Cruz Matos, J.,
Rodrigues Mafra,
C., De Miranda
Andretta, A. G., &
Rayanne Alves, L.
(2017). Human
Anti-Rabies
Accompaniment
and Consequent
Adherence to PostExposure
Prophylaxis.
Journal of Nursing
UFPE / Revista De
Enfermagem
UPFE, 314511457. Doi:
10.5205/reuol.1026
Anh, D. D., Duong,
ine.com/health/rabi
T. N., Lee, M., &
es
Grace, D. (2018).
Geographical and
Temporal Patterns
of Rabies Post
Exposure
Prophylaxis (PEP)
incididence in
humans in the
Mekong River
Delta and Southeast
Central Coast
regions in Vietnam
from 2005 to 2015.
Plos ONE, 13(4),
1-12
doi:10.1371/journal
Biology of
Inactivated Rabies
Vaccine in Healthy
Adults with or
Without Use of
Broad Spectrum
Antibiotics.
Retrieved July 5,
2018 from:
https://clinicaltrials.
gov/ct2/show/NCT
03557008?cond=R
abies+Human&ran
k=1
Senthilkimaran, S.,
Johnson, S. (2015, Oct 19).
1103sup201717d
Rabies. Retrieved
H. Thiem, V. D.,
14). Systems
.pone.0194943
3-91568-1RV.
Lee, H. s., Nguyen-Viet,
Rouphael, N. (2018, June
July 5, 2018 from:
https://www.healthl
Balamurugan, N.,
Kathikeyan, N., &
Thirumalaikolundu
subramanian, P.,
(2018). Rabies
Bouchier, C.,
Treatment: Are We
Sabeta, C., &
Anywhere Close to
Duchene, S.
Cure? Indian
(2016). Large-Scale
Journal of Critical
Phylogenomic
Care Medicine,
Analysis Revelas
22(3), 199-200 doi:
the Complex
10.4103/ijccm.IJC
Evolutionary
CM 8_18
History of Rabies
Shimao, Z., & Caiping, G.
(2016). Rabies
Control and
Treatment: From
Prophylaxis to
Strategies with
Curative Potential.
Viruses (19994915), 8(11), 1-23.
doi:10.3390/v8110
279
Troupin, C., Dacheux, L.,
Bourhy, H.,
Tanguy, M.,
Virus in Multiple
Carnivore Hosts.
Plos Pathogens,
12(12), 1-20. doi:
10.1371/journal.pp
at. 1006041
Parkinson’s Disease
Biology 301
clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein.
(“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017)
Symptoms can include but are not limited to:
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a
neurodegenerative disorder that affects
predominantly dopamine-producing
(“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of
the brain called substantia nigra. Parkinson's
disease occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, in
an area of the brain that controls movement
become impaired and/or die. Normally, these
neurons produce an important brain chemical
known as dopamine. When the neurons die or
become impaired, they produce less dopamine,
which causes the movement problems of
Parkinson's. (“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017) The
disease is a chronic and progressive disorder of
the central nervous system that affects
movement, often including tremors.
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary
with every patient and can progress over time.
Patients with Parkinson's also lose the nerve
endings that produce norepinephrine, the main
chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous
system, which controls many automatic
functions of the body, such as heart rate and
blood pressure. The loss of norepinephrine
might help explain some of the non-movement
features of Parkinson's, such as fatigue, irregular
blood pressure, decreased movement of food
through the digestive tract, and sudden drop in
blood pressure when a person stands up from a
sitting or lying-down position.
Many brain cells of people with
Parkinson's contain Lewy bodies, unusual
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tremors
Slowed movement (bradykinesia)
Rigid muscles
Impaired posture and balance
(“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017)
Changes in speech
Depression (other emotional changes)
Urinary problems
Skin problems
Sleep disruptions
(“Parkinson’s disease,” 2018)
Effects on a healthy body
During the initial stage patients
may experience mild symptoms that
generally do not interfere with daily
activities. In stage two the symptoms
begin to worsen with tremors, rigidity,
and other movement symptoms possibly
affecting both sides of the body or just
one. Stage three is considered mid-stage,
loss of balance and slowness of
movements are the hallmark and falls
become more common. The patient
could still be independent, but
symptoms can significantly impair daily
activities such as getting dressed and
eating. In stage four symptoms are
severe and limiting but still can be
possible to stand without assistance.
Stage five which is also the most
advanced and debilitating stage can
cause stiffness in the legs and make it
impossible to stand or walk, requiring
the patient to have around the clock
care. (Downard, 2017)
Risk factors
Parkinson’s disease is an extremely
diverse disorder. Risk factors for Parkinson’s
disease include age, sex, heredity, and exposure
to toxins. Young adults rarely experience
Parkinson's disease. It ordinarily begins in
middle or late life, and the risk increases with
age. People usually develop the disease around
age 60 or older. Increasing age is a risk factor
for PD, as the incidence of PD increases with
age. PD affects 1% of the population over the
age of 60, and this increases to 5% of the
population over the age of 85. Only about 5% of
all people with PD are diagnosed before the age
of 60, which is considered early onset PD.
(Downward, 2017) Having a close relative with
Parkinson's disease increases the chances that
you'll develop the disease. However, your risks
are still small unless you have many relatives in
your family with Parkinson's disease.
(“Parkinson’s disease,” 2018)
Preventative Steps and Treatment
The cause of Parkinson's is unknown, proven
ways to prevent the disease also remain a
mystery. Some research has shown that regular
aerobic exercise might reduce the risk of
Parkinson's disease. Some other research has
shown that people who drink caffeine, which is
found in coffee, tea and cola, get Parkinson's
disease less often than those who don't drink it.
However, it is still not known whether caffeine
actually protects against getting Parkinson's, or
is related in some other way. Currently there is
not enough evidence to suggest drinking
caffeinated beverages to protect against
Parkinson's. Green tea is also related to a
reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
(Parkinson’s disease, 2018) Although there is no
cure for Parkinson's disease, medicines, surgical
treatment, and other therapies can often relieve
some symptoms. The main therapy for
Parkinson's is levodopa, also called L-dopa.
Nerve cells use levodopa to make dopamine to
replenish the brain's dwindling supply. Usually,
people take levodopa along with another
medication called carbidopa. Carbidopa prevents
or reduces some of the side effects of levodopa
therapy—such as nausea, vomiting, low blood
pressure, and restlessness—and reduces the
amount of levodopa needed to improve
symptoms. (“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017)
Current and future research areas of
prevention and treatment
Although the treatment plan for every patient
varies there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease.
The Parkinson's Disease-Biomarkers Programs
(PDBP), a major NINDS initiative, aims to
discover how to identify those at risk for
Parkinson's and to track its progression.
Identifying biomarkers—signs that may indicate
risk for and improve diagnosis of a disease—
will speed development of new Parkinson's
treatments. The NINDS Morris K. Udall Centers
of Excellence for Parkinson's disease Research
program is a central component of NINDS
Parkinson's research to find the causes of
Parkinson's and better diagnose and treat people
with the disease. The NINDS currently funds 10
Udall Centers across the country, where
researchers are examining the disease's
mechanisms, the genetic contributions to
Parkinson's, and potential therapeutic targets and
treatment strategies. Current Parkinson's studies
include ones on genetics, biomarkers,
experimental therapies and other treatment
options, diagnostic imaging, brain control and
movement disorders, DBS, and exercise. (“What
Research is Being Done?” 2014)
Conclusion
This pamphlet aimed to educate
on Parkinson’s disease signs and
symptoms, prevention, risk factors, and
treatments. Unfortunately, there is no
clear answer to give patients on how
they got the disease and how to cure it,
there is a pressing need to immediately
identify possible symptoms the patients
are going through. Symptom
identification and rapid response is
currently the only means of helping the
patients prolong their life with minimal
symptom affects.
Parkinson’s Disease
Biology 301
clumps of the protein alpha-synuclein.
(“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017)
Symptoms can include but are not limited to:
What is Parkinson’s disease?
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a
neurodegenerative disorder that affects
predominantly dopamine-producing
(“dopaminergic”) neurons in a specific area of
the brain called substantia nigra. Parkinson's
disease occurs when nerve cells, or neurons, in
an area of the brain that controls movement
become impaired and/or die. Normally, these
neurons produce an important brain chemical
known as dopamine. When the neurons die or
become impaired, they produce less dopamine,
which causes the movement problems of
Parkinson's. (“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017) The
disease is a chronic and progressive disorder of
the central nervous system that affects
movement, often including tremors.
Signs and Symptoms
Symptoms of Parkinson’s disease vary
with every patient and can progress over time.
Patients with Parkinson's also lose the nerve
endings that produce norepinephrine, the main
chemical messenger of the sympathetic nervous
system, which controls many automatic
functions of the body, such as heart rate and
blood pressure. The loss of norepinephrine
might help explain some of the non-movement
features of Parkinson's, such as fatigue, irregular
blood pressure, decreased movement of food
through the digestive tract, and sudden drop in
blood pressure when a person stands up from a
sitting or lying-down position.
Many brain cells of people with
Parkinson's contain Lewy bodies, unusual
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Tremors
Slowed movement (bradykinesia)
Rigid muscles
Impaired posture and balance
(“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017)
Changes in speech
Depression (other emotional changes)
Urinary problems
Skin problems
Sleep disruptions
(“Parkinson’s disease,” 2018)
Effects on a healthy body
During the initial stage patients
may experience mild symptoms that
generally do not interfere with daily
activities. In stage two the symptoms
begin to worsen with tremors, rigidity,
and other movement symptoms possibly
affecting both sides of the body or just
one. Stage three is considered mid-stage,
loss of balance and slowness of
movements are the hallmark and falls
become more common. The patient
could still be independent, but
symptoms can significantly impair daily
activities such as getting dressed and
eating. In stage four symptoms are
severe and limiting but still can be
possible to stand without assistance.
Stage five which is also the most
advanced and debilitating stage can
cause stiffness in the legs and make it
impossible to stand or walk, requiring
the patient to have around the clock
care. (Downard, 2017)
Risk factors
Parkinson’s disease is an extremely
diverse disorder. Risk factors for Parkinson’s
disease include age, sex, heredity, and exposure
to toxins. Young adults rarely experience
Parkinson's disease. It ordinarily begins in
middle or late life, and the risk increases with
age. People usually develop the disease around
age 60 or older. Increasing age is a risk factor
for PD, as the incidence of PD increases with
age. PD affects 1% of the population over the
age of 60, and this increases to 5% of the
population over the age of 85. Only about 5% of
all people with PD are diagnosed before the age
of 60, which is considered early onset PD.
(Downward, 2017) Having a close relative with
Parkinson's disease increases the chances that
you'll develop the disease. However, your risks
are still small unless you have many relatives in
your family with Parkinson's disease.
(“Parkinson’s disease,” 2018)
Preventative Steps and Treatment
The cause of Parkinson's is unknown, proven
ways to prevent the disease also remain a
mystery. Some research has shown that regular
aerobic exercise might reduce the risk of
Parkinson's disease. Some other research has
shown that people who drink caffeine, which is
found in coffee, tea and cola, get Parkinson's
disease less often than those who don't drink it.
However, it is still not known whether caffeine
actually protects against getting Parkinson's, or
is related in some other way. Currently there is
not enough evidence to suggest drinking
caffeinated beverages to protect against
Parkinson's. Green tea is also related to a
reduced risk of developing Parkinson's disease.
(Parkinson’s disease, 2018) Although there is no
cure for Parkinson's disease, medicines, surgical
treatment, and other therapies can often relieve
some symptoms. The main therapy for
Parkinson's is levodopa, also called L-dopa.
Nerve cells use levodopa to make dopamine to
replenish the brain's dwindling supply. Usually,
people take levodopa along with another
medication called carbidopa. Carbidopa prevents
or reduces some of the side effects of levodopa
therapy—such as nausea, vomiting, low blood
pressure, and restlessness—and reduces the
amount of levodopa needed to improve
symptoms. (“Parkinson’s Disease,” 2017)
Current and future research areas of
prevention and treatment
Although the treatment plan for every patient
varies there is no cure for Parkinson’s disease.
The Parkinson's Disease-Biomarkers Programs
(PDBP), a major NINDS initiative, aims to
discover how to identify those at risk for
Parkinson's and to track its progression.
Identifying biomarkers—signs that may indicate
risk for and improve diagnosis of a disease—
will speed development of new Parkinson's
treatments. The NINDS Morris K. Udall Centers
of Excellence for Parkinson's disease Research
program is a central component of NINDS
Parkinson's research to find the causes of
Parkinson's and better diagnose and treat people
with the disease. The NINDS currently funds 10
Udall Centers across the country, where
researchers are examining the disease's
mechanisms, the genetic contributions to
Parkinson's, and potential therapeutic targets and
treatment strategies. Current Parkinson's studies
include ones on genetics, biomarkers,
experimental therapies and other treatment
options, diagnostic imaging, brain control and
movement disorders, DBS, and exercise. (“What
Research is Being Done?” 2014)
Conclusion
This pamphlet aimed to educate
on Parkinson’s disease signs and
symptoms, prevention, risk factors, and
treatments. Unfortunately, there is no
clear answer to give patients on how
they got the disease and how to cure it,
there is a pressing need to immediately
identify possible symptoms the patients
are going through. Symptom
identification and rapid response is
currently the only means of helping the
patients prolong their life with minimal
symptom affects.
SHINGLES
1
Target and Infections
Shingles
Introduction
Shingles are said to have existed
since the middle ages. Shingles, referred to
as herpes zoster, and is known to be a
disease primarily described by painful skin
rash together with blisters localized in the
same area. Based on this preamble, the
discussion will focus on signs and
symptoms, target and infections, causes
and transmission, diagnoses, risk factors,
prognosis, effects, treatment, and
prevention. Regardless of the complexity
of the disease, Shingles is a solvable
disease with simple measures
substantiating a healthy living.
What is Shingles?
While it appears to be a common
phenomenon family to chickenpox, the
definition of shingles is an extra puzzle
that similarly calls for research. Shingles
can best be described as a disease that is
mainly characterized by a painful and
blistering skin rash which affects only one
side of the entire body (Naveen et al.,
2014). The most affected parts include the
torso or the face. The condition is
commonly referred to as the herpes zoster,
and researchers would casually dub the
disease as Zona or Zoster (Wehrhahn &
Dwyer, 2012).
As said before, after episodes of
chickenpox, the virus can reactivate with
time thereby leading to shingles. Over 25%
of all adults around the world would have
shingles in their lifetime with a good
percentage sharing a history of chickenpox
(Bader, 2013). Another target group
includes people with medical conditions
such as cancer and HIV (Schmidt et al.,
2017). Lastly, people with emotional and
psychological stressors have high chances
of developing shingles.
Signs and Symptoms
The primary symptoms include
malaise, fever, and headache. With time,
the infected person can feel some
sensations of itching, paresthesia,
hyperesthesia, burning pain and even
tingling (Wehrhahn & Dwyer, 2012). The
sensations can be interspersed with instant
stabs which are accompanied by agonizing
pain. However, shingles are often painless
in children with the tendency of
contracting shingles increases with age.
The rashes look similar to hives with the
skin changing to a dermatome, which
results in a stripe (Naveen et al., 2014).
Causes and Transmission
The primary cause of shingles is
typically as a result of reactivation or
revival of the varicella-zoster virus. The
cause of reactivation is always unclear
apart from tracking the history of
chickenpox (Wehrhahn & Dwyer, 2012).
In children, varicella is normally selflimiting and mild. The transmission, at this
stage, is airborne while involving persons
with vesicles carrying the zoster or
varicella.
Test, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Tools
Some of the tests under
consideration include the polymerase chain
reaction, often referred to as PCR, which is
performed to determine possible cases
influenced by zoster sine herpete (Bader,
2013). Serologic methods can as well be
applied with any presence of the zoster
indicating transient IgM response. Any
positive IgM ELISA can be a potential
indicator of the VZV infection, reactivation
and reinfection.
Effects of the Disease on the Functions of
the Body
The first part of the body to be
affected by shingles includes the eye.
Shingles would tamper with the facial
nerve where a branch of the same nerve
involves the eye. Eye infections and the
injurious impact demand the most
immediate medical attention, in which the
absence of it would result into vision
SHINGLES
damage and loss (Schmidt et al., 2017).
The second impact of shingles involves the
post-herpetic neuralgia, which is
commonly referred to as PHN. Research
indicates that almost 20% of the cases
involve people who develop PHN due to
shingles infections (Wehrhahn & Dwyer,
2012).
Risk Factors
The first group of factors includes
the lifestyle and socio-demographic factors
(Schmidt et al., 2017). Based on this group
factors, age, gender, and genetic
susceptibility are the evident elements. The
second group of factors includes the
somatic diseases as well as treatments. An
additional group of risk factors includes the
mood disorders and psychological stress.
The last factor is occult cancer which
increases the risk of zoster through
immunosuppression via chemotherapy and
radiation.
Expected Outcomes/prognosis
Some of the complications have
been discussed before. The common HZ
complication is PHN, which is normally
characterized by neuropathic pain. Age is a
potential predictor of PNH because the
complication worsens with age PNH leads
to nerve pain and damages the peripheral
nerve as a result of the reactivated varicella
2
zoster virus (Sampathkumar, Drage &
Martin, 2009). The two are common in
most of the immunocompromised
individuals.
Treatment
With time, shingles would heal by
themselves even without any form of
intervention. However, research has led to
the development of a variety of drugs that
can treat the complications. The
recommended medications are to be taken
from the point the rash appears. The
purpose of engaging the treatment is to
make sure that the healing process is
hastened while reducing the severity as
well as the duration of the chronic pain.
The premiered form of treating shingles is
by use of the antiviral therapy. Some of the
agents used include valacyclovir (Valtrex),
acyclovir (Zovirax) and famciclovir
(Novartis) have the potential of reducing
the duration and severity of HZ infection.
Nevertheless, the topical agents are
believed to be ineffective in treating herpes
zoster. Acyclovir is of standard gold
treatment with few cases of VZV
resistance, which has never been an issue.
Valacyclovir is an oral prodrug attached to
acyclovir, and it is useful when applied
within the parent compound. Besides,
famciclovir is a penciclovir prodrug and
exhibits bioavailability when compared to
active metabolite and acyclovir.
In addition, the drugs may not be
convenient for acute pain; hence, the
tricyclic antidepressants, narcotic
analgesics, and the nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs are often more
recommendable. Besides, the
acetaminophen can be applied together
with the antiviral therapy to meet the
desired efficacy. For the chronic pain, the
antiviral drugs are effective in dimming the
PNH pain (Watkins, 2010). In addition,
anesthetics, antidepressants, narcotics and
anti-epileptic agents can provide relief. On
the other hand, the tricyclic antidepressants
can be used in managing the neuropathic
pain, which can be preceded by
amitriptyline. Regardless of the type of
drug described for any state of herpes
zoster, the essential element observed
during the treatment is the PNH.
Regulating acute HZ pain may improve the
health-related value of an individual’s life
and the functional position as well
(Sampathkumar, Drage & Martin, 2009).
Effective treatment with dexamethasone as
well as ganglion blockade with
dexamethasone and bupivacaine shows
positive results in preventing PHN.
Systemic corticosteroids are seemingly
ineffective but can as well reduce the entire
duration of the acute neuritis. Sometimes,
management of PNH demands
multifaceted therapeutic approach because
of the severity of the symptoms as well as
the duration of the disease.
SHINGLES
A revisit of the pharmacological
treatment also leads to a variety of options.
Some of the treatments that are still
relevant include the anticonvulsant drugs,
which are normally applied in the
neuropathic pain. Under the same category,
pregabalin and gabapentin are drugs that
perform the same way as gammaaminobutyric acid. Nonetheless, the two
drugs have less capability of acting on
GABA receptor. Pregabalin is safer and
effective when acting on PHN (Watkins,
2010). Another class of the
pharmacological treatment includes the
opioids, which is effective for moderate or
severe pain. In addition, capsaicin is
always a pepper-derived alkaloid, which
usually acts on the neuropathic pain.
Lidocaine is usually considered as the first
line drug used in treating PHN. The drug
acts by blocking the sodium channels while
limiting the abnormal ectopic discharges.
Lastly, doctors would recommend spinal
cord stimulation, which usually treats the
chronic neuropathic pain.
Prevention
The first preventive measure is by
use of vaccines, which is known to bolster
the immune system to a stable level that
can counter the herpes zoster infection
(Bharucha, Ming & Breuer, 2017). The
recently voted vaccine by FDA is the
GlaxoSmithKline new vaccine, which is
3
known as shingrix. Zostavax is also a
potential vaccine that can perfectly
substitute shingrix.
Additional Information
First, medical research has
invested in the development of drugs
believed to be strong enough in fighting
diseases, as well as treating or preventing
the complications (Cohen et al., 2013). The
other goal entails understanding the trend
of diseases while predicting the future
behaviors of the same diseases.
Conclusion
In summation, this pamphlet aimed
at educating on shingles. The disease
proves to be a complication that draws a
close relationship with chickenpox. Other
areas of concern include the effects,
prognosis, treatment, and prevention. The
notorious virus behind herpes zoster is
referred to as varicella-zoster that
resembles the infection that leads to
chickenpox in the prior episodes. The
prime cause of shingles is the reactivation
process of the VZV, which comes after
many years since the last episode of
chickenpox. The discussion has
extensively explored the risk factors that
can lead to HZ infection. Some of the
factors include sociodemographic factors,
stress, and people under medications such
as cancer treatment and HIV/AIDS. The
impressive side includes the tests,
diagnostic and therapeutic tools.
Laboratory tests are recommendable for
the purposes of detecting the infection.
Diagnosis consists of the PCR tests that
can efficiently provide a lead to the
detection of PHN. Shingles have scaring
outcomes such as encephalitis, eye
problems, swelling and Ramsay Hunt
syndrome. Treatment can be accomplished
via drug usage such as acyclovir among
others. Preventive measures include
making use of vaccines and managing
body contacts. While being infected with
Shingles, it is recommendable to observe
the hygienic conditions. Researchers are
also focusing on possibilities of
transmission of the virus through saliva.
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