Dear Vishi, this is my daily log for Oct 3, 2023.
I was talking to my collegue during lunch who told me about shingles. He previously worked in some litigation law firm. He said that stress on his previous job caused him shingles.
This is the first time I heard about shingles. What the heck is that and how is related to stress?
Shingles is a painful rash caused by viral infection that means it's caused by a virus and not bacteria. It's nothing but a chickenpox virus which is also called varicella-zoster virus. If it's a same virus, then why have two different names?
Chickenpox is a primary infection. It usually occurs in childhood. Symptoms include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, and a characteristic itchy rash. The rash starts as red spots which become raised and then form fluid-filled blisters. These blisters can spread all over the body.
Once you've been infected with the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) — the virus responsible for chickenpox — the virus doesn't completely leave your body. After the active chickenpox infection resolves, the virus becomes dormant and retreats to nerve cells near the spinal cord and brain, where it remains for the rest of a person's life.
Shingles is a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that has been dormant in the nerve cells since a person had chickenpox. What causes reactivation?
Stress can be a trigger for shingles in some individuals. When a person experiences significant stress, their immune system may weaken, making it less effective at keeping the varicella-zoster virus in check. Anecdotal evidence of my collegue also confirms that stress can cause shingles.
This is one more reason not to take stress in life.