Shingles Rash

Shingles rash is an inflammation of the skin, caused due to an infection by varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once a person has had chickenpox, the virus can’t be cleared completely, but remains within the nerve cells in a dormant condition. Later, it can become active anytime and cause shingles. The time of reactivation and severity of the rash is not predictable. Hence, anybody who had chickenpox before can suffer from shingles rash at any stage of his/her life. Most of the cases of shingles are found to occur in the adult stage of 60 years or older. In addition, people with low immunity such as patients of cancer, HIV and old citizens are more susceptible to this rash.

It is to be noted that shingles is contagious and can be spread through direct contact of a healthy person (who has not suffered from chickenpox before) with the patient, who is suffering from shingles. However, the infected person will suffer from chickenpox instead of shingles.

Shingles Rash: Symptoms

Symptoms of shingles rash depend upon the type of nerve, which has been affected by the virus. Though shingles is caused by chickenpox virus, shingles rash is different from the rash of chickenpox. Unlike chickenpox (which affects most of the body parts), shingles affects a specific area of the skin, usually as a band on one side of the body and particularly, on the chest, back and face.

Earlier symptoms include increased sensitivity and discomfort on a specific area, where the rash is appearing. Later on one feels burning, itching, tingling and severe pain even with a light touch. After a few days, a red blistering rash appears over there and progresses to formation of clusters of fluid-filled blisters. Along with the rash, patients may suffer from chills, headache, abdominal pain, increased fatigue, and rarely, fever. Afterwards, the blisters with pus pop, resulting the fluid to ooze out. Eventually, the blisters dry out and form crust. Sometimes, there might be bleeding and severe pain in the affected areas. Generally, it takes around 30 days for the blisters to heal and can leave with skin discoloration and scars.

Shingles Rash: Diagnosis, Complications and Treatment

In general, it is difficult to diagnose shingles, as the symptoms are vague and often confused with other forms of rash. It is diagnosed based on the history of pain and by examining the distribution of the lesions. Doctors may also undergo certain laboratory tests by taking a scrape from the blisters for confirmation.

Shingles rash is not a dangerous disease for healthy people. However, it may result into other life-threatening complications, especially for those people with a compromised immune system. One of the most important complications is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) in which the pain remains for several months or even years after the rash has gone. However, duration of the pain can be shortened by medication. Hutchinson's sign is another serious inflammation caused when the blisters appear in the nose tip. It may result in swelling of the eye and may also cause temporary vision loss, which can be treated by an eye-specialist (ophthalmologist).

Treatments of shingles are mainly aimed for shortening the duration of rash, relieving the pain, speeding up of the healing process and reduce the risk of complications such as PHN. One of the common treatments is oral antiviral medication, which prevents from further infection by the virus. Many a time, anti-inflammatory drugs such as corticosteroids are given for reducing inflammation. Also, pain relievers are prescribed in case of severe pain. However, treatment procedure may vary depending upon the patient’s health, medical history and distribution of the rash. If you suspect that you are suffering from shingles, consult your physician or a qualified health specialist as soon as possible. Immediate medical attention is always better to avoid further infections and/or complications.