Are Shingles Outbreaks Linked to Nerve Paths?
Shingles (also known as herpes zoster) are caused by the reactivation and spread of the varicella virus. This causes chickenpox. You may not feel symptoms if the virus remains dormant for many years.
Shingles are most common in those over 50 years old. It is estimated that 1 out of 3 Americans will get it at some point. The most common symptom of shingles is a painful rash on one of your sides that typically disappears after 2 to four weeks.
Although the rash may appear anywhere on your body, it is most commonly found on your trunk or torso. The exact location of your shingles rash will depend on the nerve from which the virus spreads. The rash usually appears in one or two areas on your skin called dermatomes.
Continue reading to learn more about how and why shingles follow nerve pathways.
Nerve paths and Shingles
The virus that causes chickenpox reactivates and can cause shingles. Shingles are only possible in people who have had chickenpox and chickenpox vaccines. A chickenpox vaccine may cause shingles, as it contains the virus that causes chickenpox.
Shingle’s spinal ganglia and cranial nerves until it is reactivated. Your spinal ganglia connect your spinal cord to the nerves of your body and limbs.
When your immune system can no longer suppress the virus, it reactivates. Reactivation is most common in older adults because the immune system weakens with age and in people with suppressed immune responses.
When the virus becomes active, it spreads down sensory nerve fibres from your spine to your skin. These nerves transmit sensory information such as pain, itchiness or pressure from your spinal cord to your brain and brain.
The virus reaches the skin when it reaches the sensory nerves. The rash can often be seen in the dermatomes, areas close to the skin.
What are dermatomes, you ask?
Thirty-one spinal nerves are located on either side of your spine. They help to transmit information between your body and your spine. Except for the C1 spinal cord in your neck, each nerve is associated with a dermatome.
A dermatome refers to an area of your skin with sensations from one spinal nerve.
The C5 spinal nerve, located on the right side of your body, is responsible for transmitting sensory information from your right neckbone and upper shoulders to your brain and spinal cord. This region has only one dermatome.
Shingles rashes usually form on one or two dermatomes of one side. The location of the rash depends on where the virus spreads. Because each spinal nerve provides sensory information for either the right or left side of your body, the rash does not cross the midline.
