Stages of Shingles

The nerve root infection by a viral agent, Varicella Zoster is called shingles. It occurs as a painful rash anywhere on the body. The varicella zoster virus is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Only after one is infected with chickenpox, can he/she develop shingles. This is because the virus is not completely eliminated from the body after a chickenpox infection. It remains dormant in the body near the nerve tissues of the spinal cord and brain. After many years, the virus gets reactivated due to presence of certain factors like stress, low immunity, etc. The reactivation of the virus causes shingles. Shingles is a disease that develops in stages.

Symptoms of Shingles

Once the virus is activated, it begins to travel down to the nerve roots. Thus, the rash occurs in that area of the skin supplied with the infected nerve pathway. Thus, one often sees the rash on either side of the trunk, from the middle of the back towards the chest, like a band. In some people, it may occur on the face, concentrated around the eye. Shingles rash can occur in more than one area of the body. Shingles symptoms include pain, burning sensation, tingling, red rash, fluid filled blisters, severe itching, fever, chills, headache and general fatigue.

Stages of Shingle Rash

Prodromal Stage
The stage that occurs before the appearance of a rash is the prodromal stage. It is the first stage of shingles that may lead to flu-like symptoms in some people. People who are about to develop shingles rash complain of nausea, headache and chills. Some suffer from stomach pain and diarrhea. The lymph nodes may swell and become tender. People also complain of burning and tingling with or without numbness in the area where the rash will develop. These sensations are felt around the belly, head, face, neck or either one of the limbs. This is not a contagious stage.

Eruptive Stage
The eruptive stage is when the patient begins to develop redness and swelling at the site of infection. Gradually, a small band or strip of rash will appear on the body. The rash may develop anywhere in the body, but generally occurs on either side of the trunk. The rash forms blisters that are filled with a clear fluid. After about 3 to 4 days, the fluid turns cloudy. These blisters continue to appear for about 5 days. These blisters cause a lot of pain, irritation and discomfort. During this stage, the person is highly contagious and the virus can spread to others.

Scab Stage
After about 14 days, the blisters star oozing and forming a crust. Within 3 to 4 weeks the rash begins to disappear. The person is still contagious during this stage as well. The virus can spread to children and people who have never been exposed to the virus before. A person is not considered to be contagious, any longer, only after all the scabs have crusted over.

Postherpetic Neuralgia
The postherpetic neuralgia is one of the common shingles complications. The person complains of aches, stabbing pain and burning sensation in the area of the shingles rash. This pain may be felt for many years and the area becomes extremely sensitive to touch. This stage may last for a few months to many years.

Treatment for Shingles

The treatment for shingles just involves pain management and prevention of postherpetic neuralgia stage. The patient is asked to wear loose cotton clothes. This helps prevent irritation of the affected skin. A cool bath or application of ice compress helps to reduce the burning sensation. Application of calamine lotion is also very helpful. The doctor may prescribe antiviral drugs like aciclovir, famciclovir, etc. to reduce the persistent pain due to postherpetic neuralgia.

The minute one experiences the initial prodromal stage, they should speak to a doctor. One should stay away from children, elderly people as well as pregnant women who have never developed chickenpox. This was all about the stages of shingles. As the disease develops in stages, it takes about 2 to 4 weeks to completely recover from the infection.