Shingles is an acute viral disease affecting the ganglia of certain nerves, characterized by inflammation, pain, and skin eruptions along the course of the affected nerve. It is caused by the vermicelli zoster virus and this virus also causes chicken pox disease. When the virus that entails chickenpox resumes, it causes the malady.
Shingles symptoms develop in three stages
As the disease progresses they change. They include ache, smart sense, tingling, rederaption, fluid filled blisters, severe pruritus, fever, chills, headache and general tiredness.
The Prodromal Stage (before the eruption breaks out)
The first stage of the disease is represented by the symptoms similar to those of flu:
- Fever
- chills
- headache
- nausea.
An eruption appears in 2 to 5 days after the prodromal stage starts. When the onset of the eruption comes nearer, several additional indications appear. These include
- torpidity along the parts of the body where a person feels the hurt. Shingles symptoms in women
- a pricking or burning sense. This feeling may be in the neck, on the head or on the face but only on one side. One can also notice these shingles symptoms on the leg, breech or the arm.
- burning or darting pain (it may be constant or intermittent). The pain has been described as intense and sometimes unrelenting. Soreness and pricking on one of the parts of the body is one of the main indications. During five days a man may feel either sharp darting hurts or smart protracted hurt along one side of the body.
- A distracting pruritus along the part of the body or face
People usually feel discomfort on the chest or back, but it may occur on the belly, head, face, neck, or one arm or leg. Shingles symptoms in men
The number of symptoms may include intumescence and feebleness of the lymph nodes.
A person should be very attentive while interpreting the virus indications as they are similar to symptoms of other maladies. Shingles contagious
The Active stage (eruption and blisters arise)
The main shingles symptoms on this stage are the following:
-In 2 to 5 days eruption and small blisters arise on those parts where a man has felt the pruritus, smart pain and torpidity. They may be in a form of cluster, of channel or band around the trunk. The blisters are as a rule very painful. They look like the childish chicken pox wheals. The difference between them is that the shingles blisters are bunched together, while chicken pox blisters are sparsed. Blisters may break out, trickle, and scab. Shingles pain
What are the shingles symptoms?
-A person should pay attention to the liquid inside the new blisters. At first it is clear. But then some time passes and it becomes cloudy. Besides more and more itchy wheals arise. These symptoms last for about 14 days. This stage is infectious.Shingles symptoms pictures
-A lot of people suffer from another symptom - a rash. One can find it on the forehead, cheek, nose, and around one eye (herpes zoster ophthalmicus ).
-Disease is usually accompanied with penetrating sharp pain which may befall with the eruption.
When the eruption begins to form scabs, a person becomes non-contagious. The blisters usually don't leave scars. Symptoms of shingles virus
Postherpetic neuralgia (confirmed pain period)
This stage is viewed as the complication from shingles when the eruption and blisters are closed up. The person is already non-contagious, but at this stage he or she suffers from ache. The period of it may last for a month and draw out for years. Shingles symptoms on this stage are the following:
-a person feels dull, burning, smart, piercing ache in the area of the initial eruption.
-continuous ache which may last for years
-extreme sensitiveness to touch and contacts
-one may notice such symptoms as dermal scarring in places of the previous eruptions and scabs.
-sensitivity may be changed over injured areas. It may be hypersensitive or have decreased sense.
-Rarely patients might also name such symptoms as muscle feebleness, concussion or paralysis in the case when injured nerves are responsible for movement.
The ache caused by the postherpetic neuralgia mostly influences the head and chest. This pain causes inconvenience to the patients who suffer from shingles. It can be difficult for them to fulfill their everyday activities. As the consequence they may suffer from depression.
Shingles causes
Shingles is a disease caused by the same virus that gives rise to chickenpox. It is a contagion of a nerve and the area of skin near it. It is called the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and is one of the viruses of herpes family. If a person once suffered from chickenpox, the virus stays latent in the nervous system and can become causes of its reactivation. Shingles causes
The reason for the reactivation is still unknown. There are some causes, which help him to reactivate and to develop shingles. Among those causes are:
- emotional stress
- immune deficiency (the cause, which appears as the result of AIDS or chemotherapy, cancer, or an organ transplant)
- infections also increase the risk of development of the disease.
- a person may catch this malady from contagious patient who suffers from it. Even if you did not come across or collide with chickenpox, a patient can spread to you.
A person who has ever had chickenpox and suffered from shingles symptoms is at risk for the progress of the disease. The virus also causes more serious reaction in elder people. Still older people are more inclined to suffering from shingles, than the young people.
Shingles treatment
The scientists haven't yet found the exact treatment for shingles and it's symptoms. Still there are a lot of things that could be done to treat it. Shingles treatment
-The eruption should be kept dry and clean. Due to this you will diminish the risk of bacteritic contagion.
-One can use different pills and medicines to fight with soreness such as ibuprofen paracetamol (acetaminophen, Tylenol). They are very effective in treatment. Sometimes doctors prescribe special medicine in case when the ache is very severe. A patient should pay attention to contraindications. For example, pregnant women and people who have stomach problems, asthma, liver disease, or kidney problems, must not take Ibuprofen. You should take different medicines while treating different types of pain. For instance, oxycodone is suitable for treatment of the smart ache, but you can't use them for treatment of long-term hurt.
-If the pain is very severe and prolonged a doctor prescribes antidepressants. They are affective for pain control. The dose of antidepressants for shingles treatment is much lower than for clinical depression.
-A doctor can prescribe anticonvulsants in order to prevent and to monitor the other symptoms - convulsions and seizures. They may help when controlling the nerve pain. Some time has to pass before a person may see the results.
-There are special drugs that are intended to stop the virus from propagation, though they can not kill it. These medicines are called antivirals. They are efficient in diminishing the rigor of symptoms.