What are Shingles?
You can think of shingles as a one-two punch of infections. Anyone who gets it had a case of chickenpox first, often decades earlier.
These two conditions come from the same virus, called varicella zoster.
Chickenpox causes itchy blisters that might start on your back, chest, and face and spread to the rest of your body. Shingles is a rash with shooting pain. It usually shows up on one side of your body.
The rash turns into red, fluid-filled blisters. They usually dry out and crust over within 7 to 10 days.
The early signs of shingles include:
- Enlarged lymph nodes
- Fever, chills, and headache
- Itching
- Raised dots on your skin and redness in that area
- Stabbing or shooting pain
- Tingling or burning feeling in or under your skin
- Upset stomach
Call your doctor quickly if you have any of these signs. There’s no cure for shingles. But treatment can lessen the chance of complications, including pain that lasts after the rash is gone, called postherpetic neuralgia.
What Causes Shingles?
When the varicella zoster virus gets into your body, the first problem it causes is chickenpox. You may think of it as a childhood disease, but adults can get it, too.
After chickenpox runs its course, the virus moves into the nerve tissues near your spinal cord and brain, where it stays.
We don’t know why, but sometimes, years later, the virus “wakes up” and travels along nerve fibers to your skin. That’s when it lands its second punch: shingles, also called herpes zoster.
What Are Risk Factors for Shingles?
A weakened immune system might wake up the virus. After you’ve had chickenpox, you’re more likely to get shingles if you:
- Are 50 or older
- Are under a lot of stress
- Have cancer, HIV, or another disease that lowers your body’s defenses
- Have had a serious physical injury
- Take long-term steroids or other medicines that can weaken your immune system
But many people who get shingles don’t fit into any of these categories. Shingles can have complications that last long after the rash is gone, including:
- Brain inflammation or facial paralysis if it affects certain nerves
- Eye problems and vision loss if your rash was in or around your eye
- Pain that lasts long after the outbreak, called postherpetic neuralgia. It affects up to 1 in 5 people who get shingles.
Is Shingles Contagious?
Yes. You can spread the varicella zoster virus to people who’ve never had chickenpox and haven’t been vaccinated.
You’re contagious until all of the sores have crusted over. Until then, avoid pregnant women who may not have had chickenpox or the vaccine, people with weak immune systems, and newborns.
Shingles Vaccine:
The FDA has the Shingrix vaccine and it’s considered more than 90% effective. The CDC recommends two doses of Shingrix for the prevention of shingles and its complications in healthy adults 0 or older as well as those 19 years of age and older who are or will be immunodeficient or immunosuppressed due to disease or therapy. You get it even if you’ve had shingles before. You should also get it even if you already had the earlier Zostavax vaccine, which was removed from the market in 2020.
Shingles Diagnosis:
Your doctor can diagnose shingles by asking about your medical history and your symptoms and by doing a physical exam. They can also test small amounts of material from your blisters.
Treatment for Shingles:
Antiviral drugs can help you heal faster and cut your risk of complications. They’re most effective if you take them within 3 days of the start of a rash, so see your doctor as soon as possible. You’ll probably get one of these three medications to fight the virus:
- Acyclovir (Zovirax)
- Famciclovir (Famvir)
- Valacyclovir (Valtrex)
Treatments for shingles pain can include:
- Anticonvulsant medicines like gabapentin (Neurontin)
- Antidepressants like amitriptyline
- Colloidal oatmeal baths
- Cool compresses
- Medicated lotion
- Numbing medications like lidocaine
- Over-the-counter drugs like acetaminophen or ibuprofen
- Prescription painkillers like codeine
Most people who get shingles only have it once. But it can come back, usually in people with weakened immune systems.
What Are the Symptoms of Shingles? Localized burning, tingling, itching, prickling pain that starts days days to weeks before the rash appears. The pain varies by person but can be constant or come and go.
Days after these symptoms appear, a group of fluid-filled blisters appears on a red, inflamed base of skin; the blisters typically crust over in a week. The rash may be accompanied by fever, fatigue, or headache. The rash will not cross the mid-line of your body. You may have swollen lymph nodes on one side of your body
Call Your Doctor Right Away If:
- You suspect an outbreak of shingles is beginning. If you take antiviral drugs in the early stages, you may shorten the course of the infection.
- You have the rash anywhere on your face. This puts you at risk of herpes zoster in the eye, which can lead to corneal damage and vision problems.
- The affected area becomes secondarily infected with bacteria (indicated by spreading redness, swelling, a high fever, and pus); antibiotics can help halt the spread of bacterial infection but not the shingles itself.
- Your rash lasts longer than 10 days without improvement.
- The pain becomes too great to bear; your doctor may prescribe stronger painkillers or a nerve block.
- You have shingles and are in contact with someone who has a weakened immune system.
Resources:
1. https://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-skin