3 years of insomnia, lost 20 kg due to post-herpetic neuralgia

For over 9 years, Mr. NVĐ (67 years old, in Bac Giang) has accepted to live with post-herpetic neuralgia. During the first 3 years, the pain caused him to lose sleep and he lost 20 kg.

Recently, 9 specialists at hospitals discussed the benefits of shingles prevention solutions at the scientific conference "Multidisciplinary coordination - Comprehensive shingles prevention" organized by the Vietnam Geriatrics Association.

9 years of living with post-herpetic neuralgia

For over 9 years, Mr. NVĐ (67 years old, in Bac Giang) has accepted to live with post-herpetic neuralgia. He has experienced many continuous pains, some of which are like electric shocks, and even when he wears clothes touching the wound, he cannot bear it. During the first 3 years, he was in so much pain that he could not sleep and lost 20 kg. He was treated with a combination of painkillers including antidepressants, but the response was only minimal.

Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Trung Anh, President of Vietnam Geriatrics Association, Director of Central Geriatrics Hospital shared at the workshop

In the same situation, Mr. PVG (71 years old, in Hanoi) has a history of diabetes and high blood pressure for the past 10 years, with blood sugar that is difficult to control. 2 years ago, Mr. G. discovered that shingles had spread to his entire right arm from the nape down. 3 weeks later, the wound showed signs of healing, but he had severe pain like a burning sensation, extremely uncomfortable when touching his arm. Eating, bathing, and daily activities were all very difficult, he even suffered from severe insomnia due to pain and stress, making him very depressed and negative.

The above cases are just 2 of many elderly people with underlying medical conditions in Vietnam diagnosed with shingles, shared by Associate Professor - Doctor - Specialist 2 Nguyen Van Lieu, Head of Neurology - Stroke Department, Tam Anh General Hospital, informed at the conference.

Dr. Lieu said: "Currently, the treatment of post-herpetic neuralgia is still very difficult because most of the treatments require multimodality, and patients have to suffer side effects that seriously affect their quality of life."

Chronic comorbidities are risk factors for shingles.

Associate Professor - Doctor Nguyen Trung Anh, Chairman of the Vietnam Geriatrics Association, Director of the Central Geriatrics Hospital, said that in Vietnam, nearly 2/3 of people over 60 years old have chronic diseases, of which more than half have multiple underlying diseases at the same time. Many studies have shown that co-existing chronic diseases are factors that increase the risk of shingles and this risk is even higher when patients have multiple co-morbidities.

Professor - Doctor Truong Quang Binh said: Cardiovascular patients have a 34% higher risk of getting shingles than normal.

Professor - Doctor Truong Quang Binh, Chairman of the Scientific Council, University of Medicine and Pharmacy Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City, Chairman of the Atherosclerosis Association - Vietnam Cardiovascular Association, said: Cardiovascular patients have a 34% higher risk of getting shingles than normal. In particular, when having shingles, stable cardiovascular patients can have dangerous cardiovascular events such as stroke, transient ischemic attack, myocardial infarction... Although not many, these events seriously affect the quality of life, even threatening the patient's life. Therefore, proactive prevention of shingles in cardiovascular patients is extremely important.

Shingles also negatively affects blood sugar control. People with diabetes are at risk of developing shingles and its more severe or prolonged complications, such as secondary infections, pain, and delayed wound healing. Meanwhile, shingles in chronic respiratory disease can worsen symptoms of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, dyspnea, or increase the incidence of exacerbations.

Associate Professor - Doctor Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital, emphasized the importance of implementing preventive counseling.

The role of contingency consulting implementation

Associate Professor - Doctor Le Dinh Thanh, Director of Thong Nhat Hospital (HCMC), emphasized the importance of implementing preventive counseling at hospitals and medical facilities.

"Early prevention and multidisciplinary coordination play an important role in helping patients understand the risks and potential complications of shingles, especially in those with underlying medical conditions. When fully and promptly advised, patients can proactively take health protection measures, thereby minimizing the risk of disease and complications, as well as enhancing more effective control of chronic diseases. This is not only a solution to help improve quality of life but also contributes to reducing the burden on the health care system," Mr. Thanh affirmed.

Associate Professor - Doctor - Doctor Pham Quang Thai, an expert from the National Institute of Hygiene and Epidemiology, said: "Advanced adjuvant technology helps increase the ability to create stronger and longer-lasting immunity, helping the elderly and people with underlying diseases to be better protected against infectious diseases as well as severe complications."

Dr. Thai also emphasized the benefits of preventing shingles with new technology, a solution that has been widely applied in many developed countries such as the US, Canada, Australia, Germany, Switzerland and more than 30 other countries around the world.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/3-nam-mat-ngu-sut-20-kg-vi-con-dau-than-kinh-sau-zona-185250314155121542.htm