Patient information regarding Shingles

What is Shingles?

Shingles is an infection of a nerve area caused by a virus called Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV). This is the same virus that causes chickenpox. If you have had chicken pox as a child there is a risk you may later develop shingles.

Shingles most commonly affects the elderly but can also develop in people with impaired immune systems such as those who have received steroids, chemotherapy or stem cell transplants.

What causes Shingles?

Following recovery from chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in the nerve root, near the spine. For most people, a healthy immune system will prevent it from reactivating. However, if the immune system is lowered and unable to prevent the virus from multiplying, the affected nerve becomes infected and inflamed causing pain to the affected area followed by a rash.

Symptoms

• Headaches
• Fever
• Tingling, burning sensation of skin
• Band of pain
• Rash over the area of pain
• Fluid filled blisters

Often people record initially feeling generally unwell with headaches and fever. This is shortly followed by a tingling and burning sensation in a patch of skin on just one side of the body. Within a few days, a rash develops over the area of pain which turns into fluid filled blisters. The rash usually resolves within 2-4 weeks but the pain from the damaged nerve can go on for many weeks and sometimes months.

Early detection and treatment can reduce the severity of shingles experienced.

Treatment

As you are post stem cell transplant, you fall into the high-risk group of people who may develop shingles.

We routinely prescribe patients post stem cell transplant 9 months of anti-viral (Aciclovir) medication however, some, patients go onto develop shingles 1-2 years post-transplant. Therefore, we are providing you with an extra box of Aciclovir to keep at home. If later required please ensure that this medication is within its expiry date.

If you develop tingling or a burning sensation of the skin, we recommend that you contact the transplant team, your specialist nurse or your GP and consider starting Aciclovir at 800mg five times per day. You are likely to require 5-7 days of anti-virals and appropriate pain relief.

Privacy and dignity

Same sex bays and bathrooms are offered in all wards except critical care and theatre recovery areas where the use of high-tech equipment and/or specialist one to one care is required.