Shingles (Herpes Zoster) at Walk-in Clinic Orlando

A 25-year-old patient was seen at our Urgent Care Walk-in Clinic by Dr. Usha Jain. The patient complained of chest pain and rash on the left chest for last 48 hours. The patient didn’t have any other problems. Dr. Jain examined the patient and diagnosed shingles. The patient had blood drawn to check for any evidence of immune deficiency, leukemia and a chest x-ray was done to check for any cancerous growth. The patient was treated with Acyclovir 800 mg 5 times a day.

Shingles is a viral infection where the dormant virus can flare up with external or internal stress. It should be treated within 72 hours for the treatment to be effective. Shingles (Herpes Zoster) can cause post herpetic neuralgia which is pain in the area of the rash and it can persist for long time. Timely treatment can prevent the complications.