Shingles Rash Pictures, Symptoms, Vaccine Facts
What Is Shingles? Common Symptoms
Shingles is a virus condition involving
inflammation of sensory nerves that can result in severe pain. It causes
localized pain, numbness, and itching, followed by the appearance of
clustered blisters in a strip pattern on one side of the body. Sometimes
the pain can persist for weeks, months, or years after the rash heals
(known as postherpetic neuralgia). The term “shingles” is derived from
the Latin word cingulum, meaning girdle -- the idea being that shingles
often girdles part of the body.
Shingles Virus
Shingles is caused by the same virus that
causes chickenpox (varicella-zoster virus or VZV), a member of the
herpes family of viruses. After a person has chickenpox, the virus can
live dormant in the nervous system for life. Sometimes the virus remains
dormant forever, but in other cases, the virus reactivates along a
nerve of sensation.
Causes of Shingles Virus Reactivation
- Disease
- Stress
- Aging
Shingles Rash Pictures
The shingles rash appears as painful skin
blisters that appear on only one side of the face or body along the
distribution of nerves in the skin. The rash may occur around the chest,
upper back, abdomen, face, the limbs, neck, or lower back.
Who Is at Risk of Shingles Virus?
Shingles is most common in people over 60 years of age, although anyone who has ever had chickenpox is at risk.
Risk Factors for Shingles Reactivation
- Weakened immune systems
- Immune deficiency (from AIDS or chemotherapy)
- Emotional stress
- Cancer
Shingles Symptoms: Before the Rash
The pain of shingles may develop even when
there is no rash. The patient may notice several days to a week of
burning pain and sensitive skin before the rash appears. In this
situation it may be difficult to determine the cause of the often severe
pain.
How Pre-Rash Shingles Pain Is Described
- Itching
- Burning
- Tingling
- Constant aching
- Deep, shooting pain
Other Symptoms That May Occur Before Shingles Rash
- Fever
- Chills
- Upset stomach
- Headache
Shingles Symptoms: The Rash
The characteristic rash of shingles rash
starts as small blisters on a red base. New blisters continue to form
for three to five days. The blisters appear along the path of individual
nerves in a specific "ray-like" distribution (called a dermatomal
pattern) and appear in a band-like pattern over an area of skin.
Shingles Symptoms: After the Rash
Just like the blisters of chickenpox, the
blisters in shingles eventually burst, and the area starts to ooze. The
blisters will then crust over and heal. Before the blisters crust over,
the VZV virus can be spread to anyone who is not immune to chickenpox
through vaccination or previous infection. The scabs eventually fall
off, and the rash disappears. Sometimes scarring may result.
How Long Does Shingles Last?
An outbreak of shingles can last for 3 to 4
weeks. Sometimes the pain is present but the blisters never appear. This
can be a very confusing cause of pain. Some affected people develop
postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), in which the localized pain remains even
after the rash is gone.
Shingles Complications: Postherpetic Neuralgia
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most
common complication of shingles. This is defined as persistence of the
nerve pain associated with shingles beyond one month, even after the
rash is gone. It occurs from irritation of the sensory nerves by the
virus. The pain of PHN can be severe and debilitating. Up to 15% of
people with shingles develop PHN. Typically, this occurs in people over
50 years of age. Treatment of shingles with antiviral drugs can reduce
the duration and occurrence of postherpetic neuralgia.
Is Shingles Contagious?
Shingles is contagious. Shingles can be
spread from an affected person to babies, children, or adults who have
not had chickenpox. Instead of developing shingles, these people develop
chickenpox. Once they have had chickenpox, people cannot catch shingles
(or contract the virus) from someone else. Once infected with VZV,
however, people have the potential to develop shingles later in life.
Shingles is contagious to people who have not previously had chickenpox when there are new blisters forming and old blisters healing. Like with chickenpox, the time prior to healing or crusting of the blisters is the contagious stage of shingles. After all of the blisters are crusted over, the contagious period is over and the virus can no longer be spread.
Shingles is contagious to people who have not previously had chickenpox when there are new blisters forming and old blisters healing. Like with chickenpox, the time prior to healing or crusting of the blisters is the contagious stage of shingles. After all of the blisters are crusted over, the contagious period is over and the virus can no longer be spread.
Other Shingles Complications
Usually, shingles heals well and remaining problems are minimal. However, complications may arise from time to time.
Cellulitis
On occasion, shingles blisters can become infected with bacteria, resulting in cellulitis. Cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the skin. When cellulitis occurs, the skin area turns reddened, warm, firm, and tender.Vision Loss
A more worrisome complication occurs when shingles affects the face (forehead and nose), which may spread to the eye and lead to loss of vision.How Is Shingles Diagnosed?
The clinical appearance of shingles is
usually sufficient for a doctor to establish the diagnosis. Diagnostic
tests are not usually required. However, particularly in people with
impaired immune function, shingles may sometimes not have the
characteristic clinical pattern. In this situation, samples from the
affected skin may be examined in a laboratory, either by culturing the
tissue for growth of the virus or by identifying the genetic material of
the virus.
Shingles Treatment
You can take steps to reduce the duration of
a shingles outbreak, but in the end, the virus must often simply run
its course. There is no cure for shingles. Antiviral medication is
effective only if given early, so it is important to visit your doctor
soon after an outbreak starts or is suspected Those with facial, nose,
or eye symptoms should seek medical care immediately. Early medical
attention may also prevent or reduce any scarring.
Shingles Treatment: Drugs
There are many drugs used to fight shingles and its symptoms. This is an explanation of those drugs and their functions.
Antiviral Drugs
Drugs that fight viruses (antiviral drugs), such as acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), or famciclovir (Famvir), can reduce the severity and duration of the shingles rash if started early (within 72 hours of the appearance of the rash).Pain Medications
In addition to antiviral medications, pain medications may be given. Both nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications and narcotic pain-control medications may be used for pain management in shingles. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) may require additional medications to control pain.Topical Corticosteroids
Topical corticosteroids are sometimes used to decrease inflammation and pain, but these should be used only under the supervision of a health care professional since in some patients, corticosteroids may make the condition worse.Shingles Treatment: Home Remedies
Bathing is generally allowed, and the
affected area can be washed with soap and water. Cool compresses and
anti-itching lotions such as calamine lotion may also provide relief
from symptoms. An aluminum acetate solution (Burow's or Domeboro
solution, available at pharmacies) can be used to help dry up the
blisters and oozing. Application of petroleum jelly can also aid in
healing. Over-the-counter (OTC) antihistamines, such as diphenyydramine
(Benadryl) and pain medicines can also help provide relief.
Wearing loose clothing can help avoid extra pain from clothing rubbing against the rash. Avoid close skin-to-skin contact with others who have not had chickenpox, are ill, or who have a weakened immune system to avoid spread of the virus.
Wearing loose clothing can help avoid extra pain from clothing rubbing against the rash. Avoid close skin-to-skin contact with others who have not had chickenpox, are ill, or who have a weakened immune system to avoid spread of the virus.
Shingles Vaccine
In May 2006, the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) approved the first vaccine for adult shingles. The
vaccine is known as Zostavax and is approved for use in adults ages 50
and over who have had chickenpox. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC) recommends the vaccine for people 60 years of age
and over who have had chickenpox. It is a onetime injection that
contains a booster dose of the chickenpox vaccine that is given to
children.
Tests showed that the vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of shingles in older adults. The single-dose vaccine was shown to be more than 60% effective in reducing shingles symptoms, and it also reduced the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) by at least two-thirds. Even if you have had shingles, you can still have the vaccine to help prevent future outbreaks.
Tests showed that the vaccine significantly reduced the incidence of shingles in older adults. The single-dose vaccine was shown to be more than 60% effective in reducing shingles symptoms, and it also reduced the incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) by at least two-thirds. Even if you have had shingles, you can still have the vaccine to help prevent future outbreaks.
Who Should Avoid the Shingles Vaccine?
Some people should not receive the shingles
vaccine, including pregnant women and those with significantly
suppressed immune systems.
Pregnant Women
The shingles vaccine should not be given to pregnant women. It is recommended that a woman wait three months before trying to become pregnant after she has received the shingles vaccine.People With Weakened Immune Systems
People with weakened immune systems due to immune-suppressing medications, HIV disease, cancer treatment, or organ transplants should not receive the shingles vaccine because it contains live, weakened virus particles.People Under Age 60
There is not enough information available to determine whether Zostavax may be generally beneficial in people younger than 60 years of age.Shingles Vaccine Side Effects
The shingles vaccine has not been shown to
cause any serious side effects or health consequences. Minor side
effects of the vaccine include redness, swelling, soreness, or itching
at the site of injection, and headache. It is safe for those who have
received the shingles vaccine to be around babies or those with weakened
immune systems. It has not been shown that a person can develop
chickenpox from getting the shingles vaccine, although some people who
receive the vaccine may develop a mild chickenpox-like rash near the
injection site. This rash should be kept covered and will disappear on
its own.
Shingles Risks and Pregnancy
Pregnant women are susceptible to shingles.
Fortunately, shingles in pregnancy is very rare. The antiviral
medications described previously are considered safe to use in pregnant
women, as are most pain-relieving drugs. Women should not take
nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory medications such as ibuprofen (Advil) or
naproxen (Aleve) in the later stages of pregnancy, but acetaminophen
(Tylenol) is considered safe. Having chickenpox during pregnancy has the
potential to cause birth defects, depending upon when in the pregnancy
the infection occurs. The risk of birth defects is believed to be lower
with shingles than with primary chickenpox infection.
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