Symptoms of Shingles

Shingles or herpes zoster is a painful rash along with blisters, caused by viral infection. The virus responsible for causing shingles is varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. Once a person suffered from chickenpox, the virus remains in the nerve cells in an inactive state. Later, it can become active anytime and cause shingles. About 20-25% of the world's population suffers from shingles in their lifetime. It affects both men and women equally.

Shingles is more common among the older citizens; however, those with a suppressed immune system such as people with diabetes and HIV are susceptible to shingles, irrespective of their age group. It is contagious and the virus can be spread by dermal contact of fluid from the blisters. If a healthy person (who has had not suffered from chickenpox) has direct contact with the blister fluid, then he can get infected and suffer from chickenpox. Thus, shingles is caused either by reactivation of the chickenpox virus or by infection. The severity of shingles is not predictable.

Signs and Symptoms of Shingles

Though shingles is caused by chickenpox virus, the symptoms of both the infections are quite different. Contrary to the chickenpox symptoms, which affect the whole body, shingles rash are seen only on one side of the body as a band, similar to the "shingles" of the roof. Symptoms of shingles depend upon the type of nerve that has been affected. Usually, they are seen on the face, chest and back, however it can occur in the arms and legs also. Shingles occur in two stages - the prodromal and the eruptive stage. Let's see the common signs and symptoms observed in these stages.

Prodromal stage: Prodrome refers to the symptoms that are observed before the rash appears, usually 3-5 days before the actual appearance of rash.

• Pain, tingling, numbness, discomfort and increased sensitivity in certain areas of the body.
• Burning sensation, itching and severe pain even with a light touch.
• Chills, headache, nausea, abdominal pain, diarrhea and sometimes fever.
• Swelling of the lymph nodes is seen occasionally.

Eruptive Stage: Eruptive stage refers to the post prodromal stage when the rash and blisters appear and become prominent.

• Redness and swelling observed at the site of pain, followed by appearance of a band of rash on that site.
• The rash progresses to form clusters of fluid-filled blisters. Initially, the fluid is clear but becomes cloudy afterward. Severe pain accompanies the rash and blisters.
• After about 5 days, the blisters with the fluid pop, resulting the fluid to ooze out. Consequently, the blisters dry up and form crust. In general, it takes around 22-30 days for the rash to heal. There may be discoloration and scarring of skin due to shingles rash.

Care should be taken if the pain remains for a longer period after the disappearance of the rash. In such cases, chances are there for developing postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), one of the most important complications of shingles. It is to be noted that in PHN, pain may persist from several months to even years, if proper treatment is not followed. Treatment of shingles is usually done with oral antiviral medication. Other anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving medications can be prescribed for reducing inflammation and pain, respectively. If you suspect that you are suffering from shingles, it is advisable to consult with your physician or a qualified specialist immediately, in order to prevent from further infections and complications.