Herpes zoster, commonly referred to as shingles, affects mostly individuals over the age of 60. The condition presents as painful rash due to reactivation of the same virus that causes chicken pox in early life and lies dormant in the dorsal root ganglia (part of a nerve). About 500,000 cases occur in the United States every year. People who are older, have poorly functioning immune systems, had chicken pox prior to 18 months of age or were exposed in utero are more likely to develop shingles. Routine treatment includes antiviral medications, sometimes steroidal drugs and, more recently, tricyclic antidepressants to lessen postherpetic neuralgia. This nerve pain can follow a rash and last anywhere from 1 month to years, and occurs in about 40% of people over 60 and 10% of those under 60.
Earlier this year, a vaccine to prevent and reduce the severity of shingles, called Zostavax, was approved by the FDA for use only in people over the age of 60 years. The vaccine is a higher dose of the varicella vaccine now routinely given to young children. The drug maker Merck & Co. expect the market to be large, even though they had originally planned to market the vaccine to people 50 years of age and older (a plan rejected by the FDA due to lack of research in this population). Anyone with a weakened immune system due to cancer therapy, organ transplants, HIV/AIDS, or other causes will not be allowed to get the vaccine because it is a live virus. David Markovitz, MD, a professor of internal medicine at the University of Michigan who reviewed Zostavax for the FDA stressed that the vaccine remains unstudied in patients under 60 and advises against this administration.
Certainly an alternative to this vaccine is immune support because, as stated, people who are at increased risk of shingles have poorly functioning immune systems. Visiting a nutritionally oriented physician is your best bet to address approaches to boosting immune function for better overall health and resistance to more infections than just shingles.
Posted by Dr. Jennifer Stagg on September 17, 2006 07:36 PM
