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Shingles isn’t a life-threatening disease; but it can cause a lot of pain. Knowing the symptoms of shingles can help you identify if you're suffering from it or not.
Anyone who has ever had chicken pox can attest to how uncomfortable and irritating it can be. You might also believe that you cannot contract the infection again, but did you know that the shingles virus is the same one that causes chickenpox?
What is Shingles?
The varicella-zoster virus is the main cause of the painful skin rash known as shingles. The virus persists even after chickenpox heals.
It sleeps in the nerve roots instead. For some people, the virus never fully awakens. Yet, in other cases, the virus wakes up when the immune system is weakened by illness, stress, or aging.
The virus is usually dormant in adults, and it hardly results in shingles, but the virus can reactivate and produce shingles in around one in three adults. The virus moves up the nerve roots, which run along a channel on either side of the body and provide the sense feeling to the skin.
Once the virus becomes active once again, it can no longer produce chickenpox, just shingles.
Common Symptoms of Shingles
In the United States, shingles affect about one million people annually. As you age, risk of getting shingles rises, with people over 50 accounting for nearly half of all occurrences. Ten per cent of individuals with a history of chickenpox will eventually get shingles.
Shingles early symptoms can be characterized by pain on one side of the face, chest, back, or waist that may feel burning or tingly. Moreover, you can experience symptoms of shingles that are similar to symptoms of the flu, like:
- Fever
- Chills
- Fatigue
- Headache
- Upset stomach
- Sensitivity to light
- Itchy sensation
For a few days, symptoms of shingles might occur without a rash, which may take longer than five days to form in some people. Some patients have zoster sine herpes, a less prevalent condition in which they experience painful skin symptoms without a rash covering the affected skin area.
You might see a rash in the area where you experienced pain a few days later. In rare instances, it may form on the face or all over the body, but it typically just occurs on one side of the body or face.
Anyone at risk for shingles who exhibits some of the symptoms has to visit a physician right away. Although shingles cannot be cured, early therapy can reduce its effects.
Early Stages of Shingles
The skin develops a painful, burning rash due to shingles. You might experience the symptoms of shingles in the following stage:
Before the rash develops, you might experience discomfort, burning, or tingling for 1-2 days before the rash manifests itself. Some claim that before developing the rash, their skin has an electrical sensation.
After the rash develops: A rash with painful blisters occurs. It can appear anywhere on the skin, although it typically shows up on one side of the body and frequently on the torso. After the rash occurs, some people get additional blisters, giving the impression that the disease is spreading.
Rash begins to fade: Blisters may bleed, crack open, and scab over as the rash fades. Most people's rashes disappear in 2-4 weeks.
Treating Shingles Rash
When symptoms of shingles rash develop, it's critical to get medical attention right away. By getting shingles properly evaluated and treated, you can reduce your risk of complications like postherpetic neuralgia (where you experience long-term discomfort). Beginning antiviral drug therapy within three days is advised by doctors.
