What is Shingles?
- By:Kathy Keating
Shingles, or herpes zoster, is an infection of the nerves caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. The virus becomes dormant after an episode of chickenpox and resides in a non-active state in the nerve tracts that emerge with the spine. When reactivated, it causes Shingles; it spreads along the nerve tract, first causing pain or a burning sensation. This painful disease occurs as a result when your immune system has been weakened due to an illness, aging or stress.
Shingles develops in three stages; it can start at anytime, without warning.
The prodromal stage is the early warning before the rash appears. The first signs of Shingles are often felt and may not be seen. These early symptoms may include headache, numbness, sensitivity to light, tingling feeling on the skin, itchiness, burning sensation, a stabbing or shooting pain. Flu-like symptoms may appear, without a fever, such as chills, stomachache or diarrhea. One may notice swelling and tenderness of the lymph nodes. Additional symptoms that may be associated with Shingles is a general feeling of malaise, taste abnormalities, fever, hearing loss, joint pain, or genital lesions (male or female). The pain can be mild, moderate, or severe.
The active stage is where the rash and blisters appear. The typical rash appears in 2 to 3 days after the virus has reached the skin. The rash consists of small fluid-filled blisters (vesicles) that look very similar to chickenpox. Initially, the fluid inside the blister is clear and may become cloudy after 3 to 4 days. These lesions typically develop along one side of the body, the area served by a single spinal nerve. The areas most affected are the chest or back, showing a rectangular belt of rash from the spine around one side of the chest to the breastbone. They may also appear on the abdomen, one arm or leg, forehead, cheek, nose and around the eye, which may threaten your sight and one should seek prompt medical treatment. The rash often increases over the next 3 to 5 days. Then the blisters may break open, ooze, forming small ulcers that begin to dry and crust over. The crusts fall off in 2 to 3 weeks leaving pink healing skin. The pain associated with the rash lessens as it heals, and by week 4 complete healing should take place, although some scarring may occur.
However, for some people after the rash disappears, the third stage known as post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) develops. This is the chronic pain stage that may linger for weeks, months or even years. The pain can be excruciating where clothes touch your skin. (See post herpetic neuralgia article)
In most cases the symptoms alone are sufficient to make a diagnosis based on the appearance of the blisters and prior medical history of chickenpox or shingles. In the early stages it may be more difficult to diagnose because the pain before the rash can be mistaken for other conditions. Further testing can be done to confirm the virus.
About the author:
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