Can shingles in the ear cause meningitis?

This is an automatically translated article.

Shingles is a multi-acute infection caused by the herpes zoster virus, which can appear at any age and in many different locations on the body. Shingles in the ear is quite rare compared to other locations, however, the patient cannot ignore the vigilance because shingles has a high risk of complications and causes meningitis.

1. What is shingles ear disease?

Shingles, also known by the name quite familiar to Vietnamese people, is shingles. It is caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. The herpes zoster virus will travel along sensory nerves into the skin and create a rash, fragile blisters that cause burning and itching for the patient. Shingles can appear anywhere on the body, most commonly on the spine, trunk, face, or ear area.
Ear shingles is a disease in which the herpes zoster virus attacks the knee ganglia and follows the path of the VII and VIII cranial nerves, which are the two facial and auditory nerves. Shingles in the ear is very rare, accounting for only 0.01% of the total number of patients who visit the ear - nose - throat every year.
SEE ALSO: The "favorite" positions of the Zona nerve

2. How to recognize shingles in the ear?

Patients with shingles in the ear will have symptoms similar to those of shingles, including symptoms such as fever from 38 - 39 degrees Celsius, pain, itching and fatigue, yellow urine. After 1-3 days of pain, a red rash and blisters will appear at the painful site.
For patients with shingles in the ear, the first sign of this disease is severe pain in the ear, a burning sensation in the ear, this condition will appear along the ear canal, especially the skin in front and behind the ears. The pain extends deep inside the ear, lasts for several days and the pain can extend down to the mouth and throat, making the patient feel like eating very hot food.
Besides the pain, in the ear area of ​​​​the patient will appear small blisters containing yellow fluid scattered in the nerve branch area including the skin of the ear flap, the pinna, and the opening of the ear canal. In some cases, due to the influence of the virus on the VII nerve, the patient will present with facial paralysis on the same side as the blisters.

3. Does shingles ear affect anything?

Usually, the blisters in people with shingles will break and form a scab and then slowly heal. However, if the blisters have not broken, the patient rubs the acne area, causing the blisters to burst and superinfection to neighboring areas, causing the disease to develop more complicated, causing diffuse inflammation in the outer ear canal. , ear cartilage inflammation ...
In fact, shingles in the ear usually progress well and heal after 2 weeks, but if not treated promptly, shingles can be complicated and cause many problems for the patient. in life such as:
Nerve pain, lifelong especially when the weather changes or the time of transition between day and night Peripheral facial paralysis one side Peripheral deafness irreversible High fever, vomiting, confusion Digestive disorders Especially dangerous complications of patients with shingles in the ear is meningitis, this is a particularly dangerous disease and if not treated promptly will lead to conditions such as paralysis of the limbs, seizures. or even death.
Meningitis caused by a virus is often more difficult to recognize than other causes, so when shingles in the ear, the patient should be treated early to avoid this complication.
MORE: The shingles virus can hide in your brain

4. Treatment and prevention of shingles ears

When there are signs of suspicion of shingles in the ear, you should soon go to a trusted medical facility for examination. The doctor will conduct an examination, the identification of the patient with shingles in the ear is mainly based on the clinical manifestations. However, in some cases, the doctor will ask the patient to perform some necessary tests, if any, to confirm the diagnosis.
Regarding the treatment of shingles in the ear, depending on the condition, the doctor will prescribe the right prescription for the patient. Usually the most commonly used antiviral drug is zovirax, the dose varies depending on age, taking time from 7-10 days
In children: Take 2 tablets of 200mg/day Adults: Take 2 tablets of 800mg/day The day is divided into 2 uses. Besides, the doctor will prescribe some antibiotics for the patient against superinfection, anti-inflammatory, and pain reliever. In case patients with facial paralysis will be prescribed more corticosteroids to use. Some drugs are used in combination to help strengthen the immune system such as B1, B6, B12...
Topical drugs prescribed in the treatment of shingles include: anti-inflammatory ointments, zovirax ointments with anti-inflammatory effects. inflammation, pain relief, scar prevention, especially limiting drug superinfection.
Shingles is a disease that occurs when the immune system is weakened, creating conditions for viruses to penetrate and cause disease. Therefore, to avoid getting sick, it is very important to maintain good health. A healthy diet, diligent exercise not only helps you prevent shingles, but also helps improve health, less sickness and disease.
Shingles is a dangerous disease caused by the virus that causes chickenpox. To prevent the disease, in addition to maintaining health and stable nutrition, patients should actively prevent chickenpox vaccination.
With many years of experience in the examination and treatment of diseases, today, Vinmec International General Hospital has become one of the major health care centers, capable of examining, screening and treating treat many serious diseases. Besides, in order to improve service quality, Vinmec also deploys varicella vaccination service. All vaccines at Vinmec are imported, have clear origin and are preserved in GSP environment, keeping the best vaccine quality.
Therefore, customers who need to be vaccinated, can go to Vinmec International General Hospital to get the best service.

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