Signs of shingles

Browse By

Signs of shingles

The first noticeable signs of shingles may be when you experience weird sensations on your skin. These include an itching, burning, painful or tingling sensation. Some patients develop a fever, headache or feel generally unwell before the characteristic rash with blisters appears, usually within a day or two after the first signs of symptoms.

Typically, the rash and blisters appear in a band across one side of the chest and back, resulting in mild or severe pain. They can also occur on other parts of the body such as the face and limbs. The blisters may develop to become open sores or ulcers within 3 – 4 days, before finally scabbing and healing within 7 – 10 days.

Serious shingles infections are rare, but about 10% of patients develop a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). These patients develop persistent pain or discomfort even after the rash has healed. In some cases, this pain can last for months or even years.

In very severe cases, the patient can suffer from sleep disturbances, weight loss, and even depression. Other complications of shingles include bacterial skin infections, eye problems (if the rash is near the eye), or ear problems (if the rash is near the ear). Shingles is also found to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Including heart attack and stroke.

Treating shingles

Shingles is usually treated with antiviral medications prescribe by a general practitioner. Especially if the infection is noticed early (when the rash has shown up for less than 3 days), or if the patient has a weakened immune system.

These antiviral medications help to lessen the severity and duration of pain, promote quicker healing of skin lesions, and prevent new skin lesions from forming. They also help decrease viral shedding and reduce the risk of transmission and chances of complications such as PHN.

Analgesics usually prescribe to help patients control the pain and discomfort from the skin lesions.

Shingles is infectious, and people who have เล่นเกมคาสิโน UFABET ทันสมัย ฝากถอนง่าย never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine can catch the varicella-zoster virus and develop chickenpox. Transmission usually happens through direct contact with the rash or via airborne transmission of bodily fluids. The skin lesions consider non-infectious. After drying up and crusting.