Complications | Shingles on the legs

Complications

With increasing age, the risk of developing so-called zoster neuralgia from shingles increases. This is nerve pain in the affected nerve that persists even though the shingles itself has long since subsided. Although this complication is not visible, it is also a severe psychological burden for the patient.

This must be avoided by appropriate pain therapy during the treatment. A further complication can be scarring from necrotizing herpes zoster, i.e. when the skin partially dies off. Deafness or hypersensitivity of the affected skin is also possible after the disease. Although an infection with bacteria is also a complication, it can be treated well with antiseptic ointments or, if necessary, with antibiotics.However, one should always keep this possibility in mind.

Prophylaxis

In the meantime, there is a vaccine against the Varicella-Zoster virus, which is mainly given to children to protect them from chickenpox. A study in which test persons over 60 years of age were vaccinated with the active substance has shown that the vaccination reduces the incidence of the disease by about half. However, it does not offer complete protection.