Hanoi: A 45-year-old man with shingles crushed green beans and feminine hygiene powder and applied them to his pimples, making the ulcers worse and preventing him from opening his eyes.
On January 11, Dr. Nguyen Tien Thanh, a member of the Vietnam Dermatology Association, said that the patient came to the clinic with a cluster of blisters on one side of his forehead that were red and swollen, spreading down to his eye socket and bridge of his nose, and his right eye suddenly became more blurry than before. The doctor diagnosed the patient with complications of shingles, also known as herpes zoster.
The man said he had had shingles for 5 days. He thought the disease was simple, so he followed a word-of-mouth remedy, mashed mung beans, and applied them to the blisters. However, the more he applied, the more severe the sores became, and the more painful it became. He continued to use a packet of feminine hygiene powder to apply to the affected area. After two days, the sores were swollen and painful, and he could not open his eyes, so he went to see a doctor.
The doctor determined that the patient had shingles but was not treated properly, leading to infection, corneal damage, risk of corneal scarring, and vision loss. The patient was given antibiotics, antiviral drugs, pain relievers, local care, and laser therapy to reduce swelling and redness.
Shingles can cause persistent, long-lasting pain. Photo: CNN
Shingles is a common disease, often mistaken for insect-induced contact dermatitis, angina (cardiovascular disease), migraine... In fact, very few patients seek medical treatment during the important "golden time" (from 24 to 72 hours after the disease lesions appear), which causes very serious complications.
Signs of shingles include burning sensation, pain in the area where the lesions are about to appear, accompanied by fatigue and headache. The basic lesions often start as red patches, slightly swollen, raised above the skin surface, scattered or clustered in strips, after 1-2 hours on the red patches appear blisters containing clear fluid, tense and difficult to break, concentrated in clusters like bunches of grapes. The skin often has painful swollen lymph nodes in the corresponding area and is an important sign for diagnosis.
The best time to treat the disease is within 72 hours after the skin lesions appear. After this time, the virus has penetrated and damaged the related roots and nerves. If the disease is prolonged, it will cause many complications, the most common being nerve pain for many months, sometimes lasting for many years. If the disease is localized in the forehead, eye socket, nose, it can reduce vision or cause complete loss of vision; or in the cheek, it can cause damage that causes facial paralysis and mouth distortion.
Doctor Thanh warns that when the wound ruptures, it can easily form pus, leading to complications such as skin ulcers. Applying folk remedies incorrectly or at the wrong time can cause inflammation, secondary infection, and wound infection, leaving permanent scars.
Doctors recommend that when people detect symptoms of shingles, they should be examined by a dermatologist for treatment instructions as soon as possible.
Thuy Quynh
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