Treatment of herpes zoster and chickenpox

If you have shingles and chickenpox and do not receive timely treatment, it will affect your health. Therefore, many patients will seek timely treatment to recover as soon as possible after developing this disease. The following content will introduce the treatment methods in detail. For many patients with this disease, they can have a comprehensive understanding of the treatment methods.

1. General treatment

It is best to rest in bed during the acute phase. Because you may have a fever, you need to replenish water and nutrition, and especially avoid scratching to avoid bacterial infection. It is best to wear gloves when sleeping to reduce the chance of scratching.

(II) Symptomatic treatment

Patients with obvious itching can be given calamine lotion, which contains borneol and has an antipruritic effect. If the herpes breaks, in order to prevent secondary bacterial infection, you can give antibiotic ointment, such as erythromycin ointment or erythromycin eye ointment (because it is oily, the herpes will not be dry and painful after application, and it can also be antibacterial).

Shingles can cause ganglionitis, so the patient is in a lot of pain, and pain relief is very important. The most commonly used painkillers are antipyretic analgesics, such as aspirin and indomethacin. Some electrotherapy methods that use lasers to irradiate the painful area can also have an analgesic effect.

3. Antiviral treatment

Patients with normal immune function have self-limiting disease and do not need antiviral treatment. However, for patients with immunodeficiency and those using immunosuppressants, or for neonatal varicella and disseminated varicella, antiviral treatment is recommended, and emphasis is placed on early use.

Acyclovir 10-20 mg/kg can be used to increase the body weight, once every 8 hours, for 7-10 days. Of course, α-interferon and adenosine are also options, but acyclovir is the most widely used in clinical practice.

4. Prevention and treatment of complications

Possible complications include secondary skin infection, which can be treated with anti-inflammatory drugs. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus is a virus that invades the first branch of the trigeminal nerve and can spread to the eye, causing herpes zoster ophthalmicus. Acyclovir eye drops need to be given at the same time as antiviral treatment. Atropine is also used to dilate the pupil in order to prevent adhesion of the membrane.

In addition, corticosteroids are generally not used because they can cause viral dissemination. However, if it has reached the late stage and the herpes has scabbed over but severe pneumonia or encephalitis has occurred, you should weigh the pros and cons and use it as appropriate.

The above content introduces the treatment methods of shingles and chickenpox. After understanding the treatment methods, in order to avoid further harm to your body caused by this disease, you must choose a large hospital and receive comprehensive treatment for this disease so that you can recover as soon as possible and make yourself healthier.