For Pain Awareness Month, healthcare company GSK Australia commissioned a survey which has revealed a severe lack of awareness surrounding shingles.
The survey includes a sample group of 300 Australians, aged 50-79, and has uncovered incorrect misconceptions and knowledge gaps among surveyed participants, including the perception that having had chickenpox and leading a healthy lifestyle results in a low risk of shingles.
Leading expert in geriatric medicine, Associate Professor Michael Woodward, encourages families to have open conversations with their loved ones and raise awareness about how painful and debilitating shingles can be.
‘As we get older, especially when we reach 50, we’re more likely to become unwell. The last thing we need is to have the burden of shingles on top of other health challenges,’ said Associate Professor Woodward.
‘It is also common these days for many Australians over 50, who are working part-time or retired, to be playing a role in the care of their grandchildren.
‘Developing shingles means grandparents wouldn’t be in a position to help, not just for the duration of the disease but potentially for a longer period of time if they were to develop complications, and this can impact the whole family.’
Risks
Shingles is a painful and potentially debilitating condition triggered by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus, usually during adulthood. Those who have had chickenpox already carry the virus that causes shingles.
Despite the fact that nearly all Australian adults 50 years and over carry the virus that causes shingles, and about 1 in 3 people will develop shingles in their lifetime, over a third of survey respondents who do not feel at risk of shingles, believe that a history of chickenpox means they are unlikely to be at risk of developing shingles in their lifetime.
Former shingles sufferer, Karin, aged 60, reflects on her experience and the impact it had on her quality of life. ‘It was the worst thing I’ve ever had,’ she said. ‘It really disrupted my life for a long period of time.’
Another recent survey conducted by the Immunisation Coalition, which included over 23,500 Australians, revealed that just over a quarter of respondents did not believe that shingles can have an important impact on their health.
Misunderstandings
Shingles is more than just a rash, and misunderstandings amongst those surveyed about the burden of the disease became apparent in the new survey.
43 per cent of participants did not consider shingles would have an extreme negative impact on their quality of life if they were to get it.
Shingles also comes with the risk of post-disease complications like post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), which can result in persistent nerve pain that can last for months or years after the initial shingles rash resolves.
The incidence of PHN increases with age, ranging from approximately 10 per cent in people aged 50 to 59 years old, to up to 20 per cent in those aged over 80 years. The GSK-sponsored survey found that around a third of respondents who were aware of the risk of shingles, fail to recognise pain, burning, numbness or tingling on one part of the body as a symptom when prompted.
This Pain Awareness Month, Australians aged 50 and over are urged to start conversations with their family and friends about their risk of developing shingles.
For more information about shingles, speak to a healthcare professional or visit knowshingles.com.au.
