Shingles Disease: Is Shingles Contagious?

Shingles, also known as Herpes Zoster or Zoster, is a medical condition characterized by the development of painful blisters on the skin. Zoster is caused by the 'Varicella Zoster Virus' (abbr. VZV) which is also responsible for causing chickenpox in humans. Anyone who has had chickenpox in childhood is at the highest risk of developing shingles disease as the Varicella Zoster Virus remains in his body, even after he has fully recovered from chickenpox, for the rest of his/her life.

Shingles disease, also referred to as 'revisiting chickenpox disease', tends to surface when the conditions favorable for it - like the person being under constant stress, impaired immune system, etc., are met. Certain medical conditions, such as AIDS and cancer, are known to cause significant damage to the patient's immune system, and this, in turn, makes the person vulnerable to VZV. As it (shingles) resurfaces, it becomes more painful than its sister disease, i.e. chickenpox. While most of the symptoms of Herpes Zoster are flu-like, they are also accompanied by some obvious symptoms which help in the diagnosis of this condition.

What are the symptoms of shingles disease?

• Fever for a couple of days, generally four to five days, with persistent headache.
• Physical fatigue i.e. sudden decline in energy levels of the person.
• Problems with digestive system, specifically with the stomach.
• Patient may also experience sudden chills.
• Itching at the site where rashes start developing or will develop.
• Development of small painful blisters on the patient's skin or skin rash, lined up like a part of a belt/band, starting from the spine to chest. It is distinctive shingles' symptom that usually helps the doctor in outlining the conclusion.

What are the complications I might experience if I delay in seeking medical help for shingles disease?

As there is no effective medication available for the treatment of shingles (till date), antiviral drugs can be prescribed for speeding up the recovery process and avoiding further complications. These complications include a painful condition known as 'chronic neuralgia' which develops when shingles reaches the advanced stage. In order to avoid this, you have to be watchful, and consult your physician the moment you suspect the symptoms. You should also seek a physician's help, if you continue to experience pain in tissues even after getting rid of the blisters/rash caused by shingles disease. If ignored, the condition can further worsen and lead to 'postherpetic neuralgia' - a condition characterized by unbearable pain.

If shingles is not subjected to proper treatment in time, it can lead to severe health problems like:

• Loss of eyesight
• Pneumonia
• Malfunctioning of some organs
• Hearing problems
• Encephalitis (as the disease is linked with nervous system)

Though the cases are rare, shingles can also result in the death of a patient.

Is shingles a contagious disease?

The VZV virus that causes chickenpox and shingles can spread when a healthy person comes in direct contact with the open wounds/rashes/blisters of the person suffering from this disease. Although people with a history of chickenpox are at high risk, it can also affect a person who has never had chickenpox in his/her life. However, shingles is not considered to be a fully contagious disease as it is only contagious during the phase when the patient has developed blisters with clear fluid but the rash covering the blisters is yet to develop crusts. Simply put, shingles' contagious period ends with the blisters getting scabbed and drying up.

A healthy person is not infected by shingles virus even if he/she comes in informal contact with the patient i.e. does not involve much of physical contact or a direct contact with the rash. Shingles is not an aerial disease, and therefore sneezing or coughing of a person affected by it doesn't contribute to its spread. Even though shingles virus is not considered to be a fully contagious disease, people with weak immune system, small children or pregnant women should ideally avoid people who are infected by it.

Who's at risk?

• As mentioned above, a person who has had chickenpox is at the highest risk of developing this disease - even after he has completely recovered from his ailment.
• Similarly, people in their old age, above 50 years, are also at high risk of contracting shingles disease.
• A person suffering from any disease that causes damage to the immune system, including AIDS and cancer, is at a high risk, as shingles disease surfaces mainly when the patient's immune system is not operating at its full strength.
• A person undergoing extensive medication where he/she has to consume immunosuppressive drugs is also at risk.

Tips for patients

• Shingles is only contagious disease during the phase when blisters have developed, but the crusts are yet to form. So, it is better to cover these blisters during this phase and arrest the spread of this disease.
• You need to strictly follow the treatment regime that has been prescribed by the doctor.
• You should avoid exposure to sunlight, and instead stay in a cool and dry room.
• You will have a strong urge to scratch the area of rash, but it is wise to avoid scratching.

Some people have reported shingles pain without having rashes - a pretty rare condition called zoster sine herpete. Though the absence of obvious symptoms makes the diagnosis of this condition a bit difficult, it is extremely painful with pain radiating along a single spinal nerve. Contagious or not, when it comes to shingles, it is anytime better to consult your doctor - who will rightly guide you with the treatment, rather than ignoring it and facing the complications.