People’s Daily Online, Chongqing, October 30 (Chen Qi) Since the autumn and winter seasons, the middle-aged and elderly people have a high incidence of skin diseases, especially herpes zoster. In this regard, Hao Fei, director of the Skin Plastic Surgery Center of the Third Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, said that the immune function of middle-aged and elderly people is prone to disorder when the seasons change, and special attention should be paid to the skin health problems of the middle-aged and elderly people.
Professor Hao Fei introduced that herpes zoster is an acute skin and mucous membrane infection caused by varicella-zoster virus infection involving nerves and skin. Herpes zoster is easy to appear in the period of trauma, fatigue, malignant tumor or early recovery from serious illness and other periods of decreased immunity. Age is also an important factor in the onset of herpes zoster. Middle-aged and elderly people over 50 years old belong to the high-risk group of herpes zoster. .
When talking about the manifestations of herpes zoster, Professor Hao Fei said: “Herpes zoster usually grows on one side of the body, and it is generally impossible to form a circle in terms of nerve distribution. Most of the patients with herpes zoster are Unilateral or a few generalized patterns. The varicella-zoster virus infects and damages the sensory nerves of the human body, resulting in paroxysmal or persistent severe pain, such as burning, electric shock, knife cutting, acupuncture, tearing, the highest It can reach grade ten pain, which may be worse than labor pains. It seriously affects the quality of life of patients.”
It is reported that getting the chickenpox vaccine or having a history of chickenpox does not mean that you can be immune without developing shingles. Hao Fei explained that the “culprit” of both shingles and chickenpox is the varicella-zoster virus, but the two belong to different diseases. The virus is lurking in more than 90% of adults. As the immune function gradually declines, the virus lurking inside the spinal nerve roots can cause shingles, which is not necessarily related to whether chickenpox occurred in childhood.
Professor Hao reminded that vaccination against herpes zoster is a very effective prevention method at present. In addition to vaccination, maintaining a balanced diet, moderate exercise, adjusting mood, and adequate sleep habits in daily life can improve the health of middle-aged and elderly people. Immunity is equally important.