Product Description

Now a readily available book for the 850,000 people per year who develop this painful viral disease.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1628172 in Books
• Published on: 1998-07-29
• Original language: English
• Binding: Hardcover
• 224 pages

From Library Journal
The common name for the herpes zoster infection is "shingles," from a Latin word meaning "belt," the skin under which can be a common site for the infection. Shingles results from a reactivation of the varicella virus, also known as chicken pox, which has remained dormant in the nervous system until it erupts in painful, itching blisters. Until now, the 850,000 people who develop the painful viral disease each year in the United States have had few resources to consult. Siegel (The Cancer Patient's Handbook, 1986) and Williams (Have a Healthy Baby, Macmillan 1997) here attempt to fill that void. Their book is very basic, covering symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, complications, and prevention, with a few pages devoted to the benefits of and controversy surrounding the recently introduced varicella vaccine. Also covered are possible long-term complications, including chronic, often intractable, pain and blindness. A quarter of the book is given to a question-and-answer section that repeats much of the information provided in the first part. The price would lead one to expect more depth of coverage, yet since little else is available on this topic, libraries may wish to add this book to their health collections.?Lisa McCormick, Jewish Hosp. Lib., Cincinnati
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author
Mary-Ellen Siegel and Gray Williams