What is Shingles?
Shingles (herpes zoster) is a viral infection that causes a painful rash or blisters on the skin. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. The rash often appears as a rash or a band of blisters in one area of your body.
Where does shingles come from?
When you have chickenpox as a child, your body fights off the varicella-zoster virus and the physical symptoms of chickenpox go away, but the virus is always in your body. In adulthood, the virus sometimes becomes active again. This time, the varicella-zoster virus makes its second appearance in the form of shingles.
Who is at risk for shingles?
People who have had chickenpox are more likely to develop shingles, including:
Those with a weakened immune system (such as people with cancer, HIV, organ transplant recipients, or receiving chemotherapy).
Above 50 years of age.
Those who have been ill before.
Who have experienced a stroke.
Who are under stress.
The chickenpox virus does not leave your body after you have chickenpox. Instead, the virus lives in a part of the root of your spinal cord called the dorsal root ganglion. For most people, the virus lives there quietly and doesn’t cause problems. Researchers aren’t always sure why the virus reactivates, but it usually happens during times of stress.
Can you get shingles more than once?
Yes, you can get shingles more than once. One of the biggest myths about shingles is that it can only happen once. it is not true. You can have more than one episode. If you get shingles again, you usually don’t get the rash in the same place.
What are the causes of shingles?
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox.
What are the symptoms of shingles?
Other signs and symptoms that may appear a few days after the initial symptoms may include:
How long do shingles outbreaks last?
It may take three to five weeks from the time you start feeling symptoms until the rash completely disappears.
At first, a few days before the rash appears, you may feel pain in one area on your skin. The pain is described as itching, burning, stabbing, or shooting. This usually happens before the rash appears.
After this, the raised rash appears as a band or patch, usually on one side of your body. The rash usually appears around your waist or on one side of your face, neck or torso (chest/stomach/back), but not always. This can happen in other areas, including your hands and feet.
Within three to four days, the rash develops into red, fluid-filled, painful, open blisters. Typically, these blisters begin to dry up and crust over within about 10 days. The scab clears up after about two to three weeks.
Do you always get the distinctive rash if you have shingles?
Sometimes, some people do not get a rash. If you have other symptoms of shingles (even without a rash), see your healthcare provider sooner than later. You can get effective treatment for shingles quickly. Even if you don’t have shingles, seeing your healthcare provider will help you diagnose and treat your condition.
Why does shingles appear mostly on one side or one area of your body?
The virus travels in specific veins, so you’ll often notice that shingles occurs in a band on one side of your body. This band corresponds to the area where the nerve transmits signals. The rash of shingles remains somewhat localized to one area. It does not spread throughout your body. Your torso is a general area, as is your face.
What are the complications of shingles?
After the shingles rash disappears, you may have nerve pain in the same area. Postherpetic neuralgia can last for months or years and can be quite severe.
More than 10% of people who get shingles develop postherpetic neuralgia. Researchers don’t know why some people get postherpetic neuralgia and not others. It may be that the nerves become more sensitive or the virus is attacking and damaging the central nervous system.
Other complications include:-
Other types of nerve issues such as numbness or itching.
Shingles is a bacterial infection of the rash.
If there is a rash near these organs, there is swelling in the eyes and ears.
How is postherpetic neuralgia treated?
Treatment includes lotions or creams (such as lidocaine or capsaicin) and/or other medications not specifically used for pain, such as antidepressants or medications for epilepsy. Regular pain relievers are usually not effective for this type of pain.
If your pain doesn’t go away, you can try treatments such as nerve blocks or steroid injections near the area where the nerves exit the spine. Your provider may suggest an implantable nerve stimulator device for severe, ongoing pain that has not responded to other treatments.
Is Shingles Contagious?
Someone with shingles can’t spread shingles to another person, but they can spread chickenpox. Varicella-zoster virus is spread through direct skin-to-skin contact with the fluid that drains from the blisters. Shingles is rarely spread by breathing in the varicella-zoster virus the way airborne viruses are spread. If your rash is in the blister stage, stay away from people who have not had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine and keep your rash covered.
How long are you contagious if you have shingles?
If you have shingles, you are contagious until the rash dries and becomes scaly. Varicella-zoster virus can cause chickenpox only in a person who has never had chickenpox or who has not been vaccinated against chickenpox.
How is shingles diagnosed?
Shingles can be diagnosed by the way the rash is distributed over your body. The blisters of the shingles rash usually appear in a band on one side of your body. Shingles can be diagnosed in the laboratory using a scraping or swab of fluid from the blisters.
How is shingles treated?
There is no cure for shingles but there are treatments to manage the symptoms, which are as follows:-
antiviral drugs
These medications can reduce discomfort and make symptoms stop sooner, especially if you start them within 72 hours of the first sign of shingles. They may also help prevent pain that can occur months and years later, called postherpetic neuralgia. These medicines include:
These medicines include the following and can be effective in relieving pain:-
Antibacterial medications may be prescribed if you develop a bacterial infection causing the shingles rash. If shingles affects your eyes or other parts of your face, anti-inflammatory medications such as prednisone may be prescribed.
If blisters are in more than one area, will I need to go to the hospital?
It’s important to note that most people with shingles don’t need to stay in hospital, but if you do :-
You will stay in a contact isolation room.
The door will be kept closed.
A sign on your door will remind people who have never had chickenpox or the vaccine.
The sign will also remind staff to wear a gown and gloves when entering the room.
If you have shingles in only one area of your body that cannot be covered, what can you expect during your hospital stay?
You will stay in a contact isolation room.
Signs on the door will remind staff to wear gowns and gloves when entering the room.
Note, do not take any medicine without doctor’s advice. Self-medication is life-threatening and can lead to serious medical conditions.