Sage Alliance moves to Sparks: Karen McDermott, MD, has moved her internal medicine practice to Northern Nevada Medical Center’s campus. Her offi ce is located at Vista Medical Terrace, Suite 111, 2345 E. Prater Way, Sparks (up the hill from the hospital). Photo: Stuart Murtland.

By Karen McDermott, MD

Nearly 90 percent of all adults in the United States are at risk of developing shingles. Also known as herpes zoster, shingles is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus that has lain dormant in the nervous system of people who have had chicken pox. Our immune systems defeat the virus, but they can't banish it entirely from our bodies. Instead, the virus lurks in the ganglion nerve centers near our spinal cords, awaiting an opportunity to express itself again.

When the virus breaks loose, it escapes from only a few of the many spinal nerve centers. Our competent immune systems usually keep attacks to a minimum. For this reason, a typical shingles attack is found on only one side of the body -- maybe the right or left side of the back and chest, but not both.

Medications can
minimize pain
It is very important to seek medical treatment early in the outbreak. We now have medications that can shorten the duration of symptoms and severity of the attack. Prompt treatment also may help prevent the pain of post-herpetic neuralgia, a condition that affects 25 to 50 percent of patients better than age 50 who have had shingles. Post-herpetic neuralgia is defined as "pain at three months after onset." For some unfortunate patients, the pain goes on for years. The risk for shingles and post-herpetic neuralgia increases with age.

There is some good news about shingles. We have been vaccinating children in recent years against chicken pox, and we hope shingles eventually will become medical history. Also, a vaccine now is available to prevent shingles for those at risk. This vaccine, recommended for adults 60 years or better, helps the immune system protect against shingles, the associated pain and other serious complications. Ask your healthcare provider whether this vaccine is right for you.

Signs and symptoms of shingles

• CDC/JOE MILLER

  The primary symptom is small red spots that often blister.
• The rash often is preceded by pain or tingling in the area by several days.
• Although it can occur anywhere on the body, it is mostly found on the head or trunk.
• One of the most distinguishing traits is that the rash typically appears on only one side of the body (left or right, but not both).

If you have any of these symptoms, contact your healthcare provider immediately.

Karen McDermott, MD

Karen McDermott, MD, recently relocated her Sage Alliance medical practice from Reno to Northern Nevada Medical Center's campus at Vista Medical Terrace, Suite 111, 2345 E. Prater Way, Sparks (up the hill from the hospital). For more information or an appointment, please call 324-4500.

Northern Nevada Medical Center 2375 E. Prater Way, Sparks, NV 89434 775-331-7000