The Spring Festival is coming soon, and everyone has their own happy "busyness": middle-aged and elderly people aged 50-60 are the "pillars" of the family, busy cleaning up, tidying up the house, and preparing a sumptuous feast; Young people are busy having meals, staying up late playing games, or watching TV shows. Experts reminded during an interview with reporters here on the 11th that people who are overworked and have weakened immunity are easily targeted by shingles. It is reported that herpes zoster, commonly known as "snake wrapped waist" or "wrapped waist dragon", is an infectious skin disease caused by the varicella zoster virus. People over 50 years old are susceptible to the disease, and the older they are, the more likely they are to get sick and the more severe their condition. Especially for people aged 50 and above, regardless of whether they have ever suffered from chickenpox or shingles, they should actively receive the shingles vaccine. ”Professor Xia Ming, Director of the Pain Department at Yangpu Hospital affiliated with Tongji University, told reporters that the current treatment methods for herpes zoster are limited, mainly relying on antiviral drugs and symptomatic pain relief, and the optimal treatment window is short. Therefore, proactive prevention is far more important than post onset treatment. Getting vaccinated is an effective way to prevent shingles. This expert suggests that before vaccination, it is advisable to consult a professional doctor for information on the protective effect, duration of protection, contraindications, and safety of the vaccine, and undergo scientific vaccination. In addition, methods to prevent shingles include improving basal resistance, maintaining a light diet, and moderate exercise. It is reported that herpes zoster is not a "minor disease", and its pain and residual neuralgia may plague patients for a long time. For people over 50 years old with chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension and low immunity, active prevention is an important way to keep away from the pain of "waist tied dragon" and protect the quality of life. At present, the treatment of herpes zoster is still mainly focused on antiviral, analgesic, and nourishing nerves. Although antiviral therapy can shorten the duration of the rash to some extent, if patients cannot receive timely treatment within 72 hours after the rash occurs, the probability of developing postherpetic neuralgia exceeds 40%. For middle-aged and elderly people, they are not only faced with chronic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia and other multi disease management problems, but also faced with the risk of herpes zoster. Chronic disease patients are closer to herpes zoster. It is understood that compared with the general population, patients with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and rheumatoid arthritis have an increased risk of herpes zoster disease. Taking diabetes as an example, Guo Xiaohui, chairman of diabetes education management society of China Health Promotion and Education Association, told reporters that the risk of herpes zoster in diabetes patients increased by 60% compared with the general population. There are dangerous' multiple effects' between these two diseases. On the one hand, high blood sugar levels create conditions for the activation of varicella zoster virus; On the other hand, diabetes patients suffering from herpes zoster may affect blood sugar control, resulting in increased difficulty in diabetes management. Meanwhile, severe pain after contracting shingles can also cause elevated blood sugar levels in patients. Research shows that 24% of diabetes patients have deteriorated blood sugar control after suffering from herpes zoster. This creates a vicious cycle of "unstable blood sugar making it more susceptible to infection, and difficult to control blood sugar after infection", seriously reducing the quality of life of patients. Experts remind the public that during the Spring Festival, a time of family reunion and celebration, excessive fatigue should be avoided, and prevention awareness and action should be improved. (New Society)