What is the course of shingles on the leg?

Describing the course of shingles, the first infection should be started with the first one. Often in childhood, the future patient will suffer from chickenpox. This is caused by the herpes zoster virus, which settles in the nerve roots after the disease has subsided.

It often remains there for many years without an outbreak.Frequently in old age or after a weakening of the immune system, the virus ignites a new infection. It spreads along the nerves, causing pain, numbness, tingling, paralysis, a rash and blisters. This new infection is then called shingles.

Unfortunately, especially in older people, it is not uncommon for permanent pain to occur even after shingles. For some years now, children have been protected with a chickenpox vaccine. Nevertheless, it is assumed that they too can suffer from shingles as a result of the vaccination. However, fewer diseases and milder courses are expected. The future will show this more clearly.

Can paralysis occur?

In contrast to pain and tingling sensations, paralysis in shingles occurs rather rarely, but can occur. They are the result of damage to the nerve conduction pathways, which usually affects the sensory nerves but rarely the motor nerves. As a rule, however, these nerves regress completely after the disease. In some cases, however, the problem can remain permanently.

Causes of shingles on the leg

Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, which belongs to the herpes virus family (human herpesvirus-3). When first infected, this virus causes the well-known chickenpox. This often happens in childhood and usually heals without complications.

However, the Varicella-Zoster virus remains in the body and nests in the so-called ganglia. A ganglion is a nerve node, a switching station outside the central nervous system (brain and spinal cord). The nerve cell bodies are located in them, whose extensions then form the nerve.

Humans have ganglia along the spine and in the head. The Varicella zoster virus often remains dormant in these ganglia for a lifetime. However, if someone is exposed to certain triggering factors, such as stress, or has a weakened immune system, the virus can become active again.

Each nerve supplies an area of skin (so-called dermatome), which is clearly defined and only attributed to it. When the virus reactivates, it spreads from the ganglion along the nerve and attacks the dermatome that is supplied by this nerve. The leg is supplied by the nerves from the lumbar and sacral spine and is divided into the sections L1-L5 (L=lumbar) and S1-S5 (sacrum= sacrum).

Each section supplies associated dermatomes on the leg, which extend in strips from the groin region to the foot. If a patient now has shingles on the leg, the affected region can be used to determine which ganglion is affected in which section. It is important that shingles is not necessarily contagious.

The virus transmitted is the varicella zoster virus, which triggers chickenpox on first contact. After a chickenpox infection that has already occurred, one is immune to re-infection. The occurrence of shingles as a secondary disease, on the other hand, depends only on the immune status of the person concerned.

Children who have not yet contracted chickenpox and have not received a vaccination against it should be kept away from zoster patients, as they may very well become infected and then contract chickenpox. It is important that shingles is not necessarily contagious. The varicella zoster virus is transmitted, which triggers chickenpox on first contact.

After a chickenpox infection that has already occurred, one is immune to re-infection. The occurrence of shingles as a secondary disease, on the other hand, depends only on the immune status of the person concerned. Children who have not yet contracted chickenpox and have not received a vaccination against it should be kept away from zoster patients, as they may very well become infected and then contract chickenpox.