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Meaning of SHINGLES

Pronunciation:  'shinggulz

WordNet Dictionary
 
 Definition: [n]  eruptions along a nerve path often accompanied by severe neuralgia
 
 Websites: 
 
 Synonyms: herpes zoster, zoster
 
 See Also: herpes

 

 

Webster's 1913 Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
\Shin"gles\, n. [OF. cengle a girth, F. sangle, fr. L.
cingulum a girdle, fr. cingere to gird. Cf. {Cincture},
{Cingle}, {Surcingle}.] (Med.)
A kind of herpes ({Herpes zoster}) which spreads half way
around the body like a girdle, and is usually attended with
violent neuralgic pain.
 
Medical Dictionary
 
 Definition: A painful rash due to viral infection of nerve tissue; herpes zoster.
 
Biology Dictionary
 
 Definition: 
  1. A virus in the family Herpesviridae which causes chickenpox initially and may go dormant and later re-activate, causing the disease shingles. Chickenpox is a common, highly communicable disease that causes fever and fluid-filled blisters on the skin. Shingles are characterized by extremely painful skin eruptions.
  2. This is a term used in the description of several well known diseases entities, one of which is herpes zoster, although it has very little to do with herpes virus infection, except for the lesions produced by zoster eruptions sometimes looks like those of herpes.

    The virus causing zoster is the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox. Initially, patients feel pain and burning sensation along the areas of the body supplied by the same nerve. About 2 days later, vesicles appears at the same area and this lasts for about 1 week. In patients with compromised immune system (e.g. AIDS), zoster eruption may precede significant depression of immunity.

    People who has had chickenpox is a potential candidate for zoster infection due to the reactivation of the chickenpox virus in the nerve. The previous chickenpox infection gives them immunity from infection by another individual who is suffering from a zoster infection. Those who never had chickenpox can be infected by zoster, and have the clinical symptoms of chickenpox.

 

 

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