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By Aashka Patel, UIUC, Introduction to Aging Project
The varicella-zoster virus is a virus that greatly affects the nervous system and is mostly greatly identified by a painful skin rah all over the body. It is commonly referred to as the shingles virus or herpes zoster. This virus occurs many years following a chickenpox episode. Chickenpox is essentially the same virus as shingles but is more of a precursor to shingles itself. Once one experiences the chickenpox (commonly at a young age), the virus lies dormant in the cells of the host for all of young adulthood through adulthood. As one approaches the classification of older adulthood however, they become more susceptible to a shingles outbreak. This virus has a great effect on the elderly population (sixty-fiver and older) and is known as one of the viruses that old-aged adults, specifically, have to watch out for.
chicken pox - child.jpg
Shingles -adult.jpg
Above are comparisons of the varicella infection (left) in a child and the varicella-zoster virus (right) in a old adult. As seen, both manifest differently because of the intensity of the virus. During latency, the virus has time to develop, therefore seems to be more aggressive than the initial infection.[1]
The varicella-zoster virus belongs to the herpes virus family and is commonly classified in the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily because the variability of the hosts.[2] After a chickenpox outbreak (called the varicella infection), the virus stays dormant in the cranial nerves of the body and does not activate until old adulthood. While the virus is in its latency period, viral replication occurs. That is why it is worse the second time around, causing it to be a full-blown virus. The virus kills off the host cells, particularly, nerve cells. Of those nerve cells, the sensoric ganglia of are most affected. In addition this virus obstructs the ability for information to be relayed from the peripheral nervous system to the central nervous system via afferent neurons.
The main symptom of the varicella-zoster virus is a painful skin rash. This is due to inflammation of the sensory ganglia. The virus can spread from the spinal cord, to the brain stem, and then to the sensory nerves, causing eruptions in the skin. The initial symptoms after activation are dysesthesisa, fever, headaches and malaise. The rash goes through sequential stages in which it first develops and then eventually goes away. People who experience the shingles virus describe it as being very painful and embarrassing. It should be noted that gender does not affect the severity of the rash, but age does increase the severity.
A reason why age increases the severity is because as one ages, their immune system weakens due to poor health decisions and sometimes just over usage. If one’s immune system is weakening, the cells are not as readily available or able to fight off the virus. This causes the progression of the virus to increase. Immunosuppressive drugs that are taken prior to or during the outbreak are one reason why they the immune system is weakened. Another reason is stress. As one ages, they deal with the many stresses of life whether that be paying off their mortgage or coping with the aging process or stress. Stress causes the release of cortisol throughout the body. This cortisol kinetically attacks the cells of the immune system. Therefore, the immune system is compromised and not able to fight off the shingles virus. These are both major reasons why the elder population is typically the only one who experiences this virus. This is yet another reason why aging is a downfall when it comes to health.
[2] Wolff, M.H., S. Schunemann, and A. Schmidt. Varicella-Zoster Virus. Basel, Switzerland: Karger, 1999. Print.
Shingles table.jpg
The age group most affected by shingles according to the data collected by Pennsylvania State University is the age group of eighty plus years. There is an apparent increase at the age of fifty however for the virus. This shows that the older one gets, the more susceptible they are to the activation of the varicella-zoster virus.[1]
Although age is one of the main reasons why the varicella-zoster virus comes out of latency, there are many older adults who do not experience it. This is because there are ways to avoid it and many other diseases associated with old age. There are various ways older adults could prevent an outbreak of shingles. For example, they can exercise regularly which promotes good blood flow to all areas of the body, most importantly the brain. This could also be used as in a therapeutic manner to deal with their stress. Also, if they are not completely necessary, older adults could stay away from immunosuppressive drugs that could harm their immune system. There is also a shingles vaccine that can be administered to prevent the virus from surfacing and become fully active.
In reality, it is easier said that done to try to prevent a shingles outbreak. Sometimes, it really is uncontrollable. For those elder adults that are unfortunate enough to live with the virus, they are faced with embarrassment and constant pain. As watched in a video made by MERCK[2], an elder adult whom used to earn a living as a firefighter had described the rash symptoms as being worse than anything he has ever experienced. He said that although he had worked in the line of fire for years, nothing could compare to the burning sensation he felt because of shingles. He also said that he was embarrassed at the site of his sores and rashes. Because of the intensity of the visual symptoms of the virus, it is obviously an illness that interferes with everyday life, whether that be not leaving one’s home because of the fear humiliation or the physical discomfort stopping one from proceeding with daily activities.
The varicella-zoster virus or shingles, a result of the chickenpox, is a virus that virtually anyone is susceptible to. However, older adults are most likely to get the virus because their immune systems are weakened. Many factors can lead to a suppressed immune system and because of this, the initial infection, chickenpox is taken out of latency and reactivated into the varicella-zoster virus upon viral replication. The reactivation of the virus causes painful skin eruptions, which are due to inflammation of the sensoric ganglia. Overall, it is something older people have learned to live with. However, adaptation to the virus is not the easiest thing to attain.
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