Shingles – Its Symptoms and Treatment

Shingles – Its Symptoms and Treatment

Shingles is caused by varicella-zoster, the virus responsible for chickenpox. Individuals who suffer from shingles exhibit early signs and symptoms that include a burning or tingling pain, numbness under the skin, chills, headache, upset stomach, or fever. Intense spasms of pain can be triggered by a gentle touch or a breeze.

When a person has had chickenpox or been vaccinated with chickenpox vaccine, traces of the varicella-zoster virus remain in the body and lie dormant within the nerves that control sensation. Emotional stress and other conditions may cause the virus to reawaken and travel along the nerves to the skin. Once reactivated, the virus can cause the nerve and skin disorder known as shingles.

Shingles and Its Symptoms

Shingles usually causes abnormal sensations in the affected parts of the body a few days before the appearance of a rash. The sensations are often described as a deep pain, burning, “pins and needles” sensation, numbness, itching and extreme sensitivity of the skin to touch. At the start of the shingles infection, some people may experience symptoms similar to those of flu such as fever or muscle aches.

The rash usually appears on the skin over the nerve where the virus resides. The rash is often limited to the torso, but can also appear on an arm or leg. The face or neck may also be affected. Unlike chickenpox, where the blisters occur all over the body, shingles rash develops only on one side of the body.

The rash begins as clusters of red bumps that appear in waves over three to five days. They tend to form a path leading to the spine. The bumps soon form small blisters filled with fluid and surrounded with red skin. The blisters are usually painful to the touch. Eventually, the blisters pop and ooze pus and fluid.

After about five days, the blisters dry and form a scab. After they heal, scars may form or areas of the skin may become discolored.

In some cases, the pain persists for months or years even after other shingles symptoms are gone. This is a shingles complication known as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The pain can be a constant deep pain or a sharp burning pain. A light touch or change in skin temperature can trigger the intense pain.

Treatment of Shingles

Shingles does not have a cure, but the pain and discomfort can be eliminated or reduced. The blisters and rash can also be healed.

Antiviral medications are prescribed to reduce the duration of shingles symptoms. These antiviral medications include acyclovir (Zovirex), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex). It is important to get started on these medications within 72 hours after the first symptoms of shingles appear to speed up healing and minimize the possibility of developing complications like postherpetic neuralgia.

To manage the pain, the patient may take ibuprofen, naproxen, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, or narcotic analgesics such as codeine or Oxycodone. Corticosteroids can also be used to control itching, pain, redness and inflammation of the rash and blisters.