Neuropathy in people with underlying diseases
For more than 9 years, Mr. N.V.D, 67 years old, Bac Giang has lived with post-herpetic neuropathy. The pains of electric shock kept tormenting him, even when he only wore a shirt that lightly touched the wound. During the first three years, he suffered from chronic insomnia, lost 20kg, and only responded to a small part of the pain relief treatment regimens.
Mr. P.V.G, 71 years old, Hanoi, has a history of diabetes and high blood pressure for 10 years. When he had shingles, the blisters spread from his neck to his right arm, leaving him with burning pain, causing him severe insomnia, mental decline and many difficulties in daily activities.
Post-herpetic neuropathy is one of the most common and persistent complications, causing prolonged insomnia, negatively affecting psychology and possibly leading to rare complications such as stroke, Myasthenia gravis or cerebral arteriosclerosis. Treating these complications is not only complicated and prolonged, but also puts great cost pressure on patients, especially the elderly and those with underlying diseases.
According to Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Van Lieu - Head of the Department of Thern medicine - Stroke, Tam Anh General Hospital, treating post-herpetic neuropathy is a big challenge, as most patients need to apply multiple treatments but still experience side effects, significantly reducing their quality of life.
Preventing shingles
At the scientific workshop "Multi-specialty coordination - Comprehensive chickenpox" organized by the Vietnam Geriatric Association on March 11, experts emphasized the risk of shingles in people with chronic diseases, Associate Professor, Dr. Nguyen Trung Anh - Director of the Central Geriatric Hospital, Chairman of the Vietnam Geriatric Association, nearly 2/3 of people aged 60 and over in Vietnam have chronic diseases, and more than half of them have many underlying diseases at the same time. The more underlying diseases there are, the higher the risk of shingles.
Prof. Dr. Truong Quang Binh - Chairman of the Scientific Council, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City said: C heart patients have a 34% higher risk of shingles than normal people. In particular, if they have shingles, they can also face dangerous cardiovascular events such as stroke, myocardial infarction or a short-term cerebral anemia.
Not only cardiovascular patients, people with diabetes are also at higher risk of shingles, with the possibility of prolonged complications such as secondary infections, nerve pain and slow wound healing. For COPD patients, shingles can aggravate respiratory symptoms, increase the incidence of rashes and seriously affect the quality of life.
In addition to the health impact, shingles also causes a great financial burden. Treatment includes not only drug costs but also examination, inpatient treatment and long-term care.
Early prevention consultation and multidisciplinary coordination are key solutions to help patients proactively protect their health, reduce the risk of shingles and complications, and better control underlying diseases.
