Senior citizens are more susceptible to the condition known as shingles than people of other ages are, and the disease can have more serious effects on them as well. If shingles symptoms develop on a weekend, the person shouldn’t wait until Monday to see his or her regular doctor. Going to an Emergency Clinic in Maui for urgent care services is advisable. The practitioners there can prescribe antiviral medication to reduce the progress of the illness and can offer pain-reducing treatments and medicine.
At first, shingles may appear as an ordinary rash, and the person usually assumes it’s a skin reaction to an irritant. Experts believe that many people develop a mild case of shingles that soon goes away, and they never realize they actually had this disease. However, if the rash becomes more severe and painful, it’s time to visit an Emergency Clinic in Maui. Other symptoms are also associated with the disorder, including fever and headache.
Seniors who develop shingles are more likely to experience a complication called post-herpetic neuralgia. Post-herpetic neuralgia causes lingering nerve pain in areas where the rash was located. It can decrease the person’s quality of life for several months. Getting fast treatment with the possibility of preventing this complication is highly beneficial. The patient can then plan to see the regular doctor after the weekend and continue any treatment that is recommended.
The word “herpetic” in this term indicates that the neuralgia results from a bout of shingles, which is medically known as herpes zoster. This isn’t the kind of herpes associated with cold sores or genital sores, but rather with chickenpox. Chickenpox is caused by a different herpes virus known as varicella zoster. Anyone who has had chickenpox still has the virus, as it stays in the body in a dormant state. Since older individuals are more likely to develop shingles, doctors strongly encourage people over the age of 50 to get a shingles vaccination. About one-third of senior citizens come down with the disease at some point. Clinics like Wailea Medical Center & Urgent Care provide many kinds of vaccinations in addition to certain types of emergency care services.
