Before the introduction of the vaccine, the generations of children who contracted this virus remember it very well. The high fever, the itchy pustules and then the annoying scabs not to be touched absolutely otherwise the scars remained. This was the terrible warning from moms! It’s chickenpox.
However, not everyone is aware of the fact that in 10% of the population this insidious virus reactivates itself, manifesting itself in a very painful way after years. Here appears the Fire of St. Anthony.
Few people know that these 3 risk factors are enough to repeat chickenpox
Although antibodies generally succeed in blocking the disease, the virus can remain dormant in the nervous tissue even for life. At least until some triggers reactivate it. Let’s see what can be the causes that can cause a relapse.
A strong psychophysical stress
Generally a very strong state of stress causes a lowering of the immune defenses and this, as we well know, exposes us to countless pathologies, making us vulnerable and fragile.
Long and heavy drug therapies
After a transplant or during treatments such as chemo and radiotherapy, very heavy drugs are taken which affect the immune system.
The advanced age
Even the elderly are more exposed precisely because they have weaker immune defenses, they are in fact considered fragile subjects.
Here are the symptoms
As in chickenpox, even when it reappears, reddened areas appear with blisters that cause itching, burning and pain. The latter is caused by inflammation of the nerves.
In addition, all the symptoms of a bad flu such as fever, headache, stomach pain and fatigue appear.
What to do if symptoms appear?
At the first appearance of these signals it is good to alert the attending physician. The latter can make an initial diagnosis only by observing the area affected by the inflammation and then through a blood test for the IgM antibodies typical of chickenpox.
Unfortunately, nothing can be done to prevent shingles but the symptoms can be mitigated through antivirals that prevent the replication of the virus. In addition, anti-inflammatories and painkillers are usually prescribed, while an aluminum chloride-based gel can be applied to the affected parts to relieve the burning and itching of the blisters.
Just like chickenpox, shingles also pass on their own.
But we have seen how important it is to take care of your immune system because few know that these 3 risk factors, all linked to our defenses, are enough to repeat chickenpox. Other lighter but still annoying inflammations also depend on this, in fact you have to pay attention to stress and the change of season because they can cause another annoying inflammation.
Furthermore, to learn about other pathologies related to the well-being of the intestine and therefore to our microbiota, you can read in this article that very few people know about the inflammation that lowers the immune system and causes overweight and obesity, that is dysbiosis, a very common and little known.