Case of the Shingles!

So...Blaine has the Shingles. He had chicken pox at 8 months of age, and now at 6 years has his first case of shingles. I say first, because there could be more...It is very rare for children, especially under age 10 but below you can read why he most likely has them and learn all about Shingles in kids (oh, and he is taking acyclovir, the drug mentioned below)!

• children are thought to be at increased risk for developing shingles if they had chicken pox before they were 12 months old or if their mother had chicken pox in her third trimester of pregnancy

Shingles Symptoms

Classic shingles symptoms are a little different in children, which can make diagnosis difficult.

Unlike adults, in which shingles symptoms often begin with burning or tingling pain in one area of their body, which is followed by a rash with fluid-filled blisters, younger children often don't have much or any pain. They still get the rash though, which appear in clusters in a single band on one side of their body.

The shingles rash begins as small red bumps, which then become blisters, that over a week develop a crust and eventually go away, much like chicken pox. The shingles rash does not spread all over the child's body like chicken pox does though, instead staying in the little band where it began.

Also unlike adults, children rarely develop postherpetic neuralgia, which is pain at the site of the shingles rash that is still present more than 30 days after the rash began.

Shingles Prevention

A shingles vaccine is available to help prevent shingles. Zostavax can be given as a one time dose to adults 60 years or older to prevent shingles.

Does the chicken pox vaccine (Varivax) prevent shingles? Not directly, since children who get the chicken pox vaccine, even if they don't ever get chicken pox, can still get shingles. Their risk of developing shingles does seem to be much less than for children who aren't vaccinated with the chicken pox vaccine though.

What You Need To Know

• Because shingles is not very common in children, it is sometimes misdiagnosed as other more common skin rashes, like impetigo or even poison ivy.
  
  
• Shingles usually stays in a single band or area of a person's body that is called a dermatome that corresponds to one area of skin that is supplied by the same nerve.
  
  
• Shingles is contagious. If you have never had chicken pox or been vaccinated and have contact with someone with shingles you could catch chicken pox -- not shingles
  
  
• Treatment for shingles sometimes includes antiviral drugs such as acyclovir and steroids for postherpetic neuralgia.