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Winter, a member of the K-pop group Aespa, has been diagnosed with shingles and missed the group's performance in Dallas. Shingles is widely known as a condition that primarily affects middle-aged and older adults, but it can also occur in younger people who have had chickenpox or been infected with the varicella-zoster virus.

SM Entertainment, the group's agency, announced Wednesday on the fan communication platform Weverse that Winter "showed a strong will to participate in the scheduled performances as much as possible," but that she had decided to skip the Dallas show and rest "in accordance with the medical team's recommendation that the artist's health and sufficient recovery are the top priority."

Winter had reportedly been in poor condition even before the Miami performance. After completing that show, her condition had not improved sufficiently, and she underwent a detailed medical examination at a local hospital, where she was diagnosed with shingles.

Shingles is not caused by a new virus invading the body. Rather, it occurs when the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus responsible for chickenpox — reactivates after lying dormant in the nerve ganglia.

Pain before the rash: how shingles appears on one side of the body

The hallmark symptoms of shingles are pain and a skin rash that appear along one side of the body.

Because the virus reactivates along a specific nerve pathway, a band-like red rash and blisters typically develop on one side of the chest, back, abdomen or face. Days before any skin changes appear, the affected area may first feel prickly, burning or stabbing. Fever, headache and chills can also accompany the condition.

The early symptoms are easy to mistake for muscle pain or a simple skin irritation. If a burning pain on one side of the body persists for no apparent reason — even triggered by something as light as clothing brushing against the skin — and is then followed by a rash, shingles should be suspected.

Blisters generally crust over within about a week to 10 days, and skin symptoms typically improve within two to four weeks. The severity of pain varies widely from person to person. Some people experience intense nerve pain despite a relatively small rash, while others feel only mild discomfort.

The risk of developing shingles increases with age. People whose immune function is compromised — due to cancer treatment or the use of immunosuppressants, for example — also face a higher risk. That said, shingles is not a condition exclusive to older adults. Anyone carrying the varicella-zoster virus can experience a reactivation regardless of age.

Many people report developing shingles shortly after a period of fatigue or stress, but it would be an overstatement to say that overwork inevitably causes the condition. The key mechanism in shingles is a weakening of cell-mediated immunity against the virus, which allows the dormant virus to reactivate.

Act fast when a rash appears: early antiviral treatment is key

Starting treatment early is critical when it comes to shingles.

Antiviral medications — including acyclovir, valacyclovir and famciclovir — are used in treatment. While these drugs do not eliminate the virus from the body entirely, they help shorten the duration of symptoms and promote healing of skin lesions.

Treatment is particularly recommended within 72 hours of the rash appearing. Early antiviral therapy can speed recovery and help reduce the risk of complications such as postherpetic neuralgia.

Severe pain may require additional pain management, since shingles, despite its outward appearance as a skin condition, is in fact a disease that affects the nerves.

The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia — a condition in which burning or stabbing pain persists in the affected area even after the blisters and rash have cleared. In severe cases, even the lightest touch from clothing or a blanket can cause pain.

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), postherpetic neuralgia develops in about 10 to 18 percent of shingles patients. The risk increases with age and is relatively rare in people under 40. The pain can last anywhere from several months to several years.

Extra caution is warranted when shingles affects the face. If the virus spreads around the eye, it can cause inflammation of the cornea or the interior of the eye, potentially affecting vision. When it occurs near the ear, it can affect hearing, balance and facial nerves. Anyone experiencing a rash around the eye, changes in vision, facial paralysis or hearing changes should seek medical attention promptly.

Can shingles spread to others? Chickenpox transmission is possible.

Coming into contact with a shingles patient does not mean the other person will immediately develop shingles.

The blisters do contain the varicella-zoster virus, however, and a person who has never had chickenpox or been vaccinated against it can contract chickenpox through direct contact with the lesions. Until the blisters dry and crust over, it is important to keep the affected area covered and to practice good hand hygiene.

Direct contact should particularly be avoided with pregnant women, newborns, people with severely compromised immune systems, and those with no immunity to chickenpox.

Having shingles once does not guarantee it will not return. Because the virus remains in the nerve ganglia, it can reactivate again later.

Shingles vaccines are available for prevention. The CDC recommends the recombinant shingles vaccine for adults 50 and older, as well as for adults 19 and older whose immune function is weakened by illness or treatment. The two-dose recombinant vaccine has been reported to be more than 90 percent effective at preventing shingles and postherpetic neuralgia in adults 50 and older. The appropriate vaccination schedule for individuals in South Korea can be determined through consultation with a healthcare provider based on age and health status.

In the early stages of shingles, pain can precede any visible skin changes, making it easy to dismiss as simple fatigue or muscle soreness. If unexplained pain or a prickling sensation persists on one side of the body and is followed by a red rash or blisters in the same area, it is important to seek medical attention promptly.


rainbow@heraldcorp.com