Viruses along the spine (shingles, herpes zoster)
Description
Post-herpetic neuralgia is a painful condition that affects nerves and skin. It arises as a complication of shingles (herpes zoster, HZ). It is a viral ailment caused by Varicella Zoster Virus (VZV) and mainly affects people with weakened immunity. It begins as a primary infection that is usually overcome in childhood as chickenpox. The virus never disappears from the body and persists in spinal ganglia where it remains in a kind of secret form. When immunity is weakened, it is reactivated, and spreads along the nerve fibers to the appropriate skin areas connected by this nerve (dermatome). The symptom of postherpetic neuralgia is above all the unceasing pain in the area concerned, which does not give way even after the skin manifestations have healed.