Shingles symptoms

Discomfort

Burning and severe pain are the first signs.

If varicella-zoster virus reactivates, the person concerned first noticed a burning sensation and pain in the skin areas that are supplied by the corresponding nerve cord. The reason for this is that the virus enters along those nerve to the skin surface, at the ganglion it had "hidden". This leads to inflammation of the corresponding nerves. The resulting pain can occur in part be very severe.

Often the patients suffer before that, alongside other under a general feeling of illness with mild fever, malaise and fatigue. In rare cases, may also be swollen lymph nodes. Two to three days of onset of pain occurs within the same area of skin to form painful redness. This slightly raised rash develops in the coming days vesicles. The blisters fill with pus until a clear white liquid. The rash almost always occurs only on one side of the body and only in the area supplied by the affected nerve cord on. But sometimes it comes to bilateral involvement. Only in very rare cases, is not decisive.

Burst blisters scab. Its content is contagious.
Then make small wounds that are covered with scab, which falls later. The vesicles may regress but also, and crust. In some people, this phase lasts only 7-14 days, in others it may take up to a month. The content of the vesicles is infectious. It transfers the varicella-zoster virus, but only to people who are not carriers of the virus. Then you fall ill and chickenpox can later may also get a shingles. After the healing, the skin can be browned in some places more, or even brighter than before the illness.

Post-herpetic neuralgia is more common in older people.
During the entire time you may experience severe zoster pain. Some people even after recovering from shingles, the pain does not end. Pain can persist for weeks or months after recovering from shingles in the formerly affected area occur again. This pain is commonly know as post-herpetic neuralgia. In elderly people the chance to design a post-herpetic neuralgia, larger than in younger people.

When zoster ophtalmicus face and eyes are affected, in most cases, occurs on the shingles along the nerve pathways of the chest. With decreasing the likelihood of shingles may affect nerves of the lumbar region and the arms or legs. Also cranial nerves can be affected by a reactivation of VZV. When zoster ophthalmicus face and eyes are affected. In an infection of the eyes may scar the cornea of the eye permanently. This can lead to vision loss to blindness. Involvement of the facial nerve occurs in about 60 percent of those affected to a facial paralysis. It is also possible the loss of the sense of taste. These changes form, with a few exceptions, all the way back again.

The infestation of the ear canal is called oticus zoster.
In zoster oticus the ear canal is affected. Here, the typical rash is in the ear canal. Again, the patients suffer from severe pain. You may experience hearing loss, dizziness and balance disorders. If untreated, this form lead to a permanent hearing loss up to deafness. Not infrequently the facial nerve is affected, which can lead to paralysis of the facial muscles. This paralysis usually go back completely. In rare cases, remains a numbness.

The zoster Generalisatus affects the whole body and is life threatening.
When generalized herpes zoster or zoster Generalisatus concerns the shingles of the entire body. Also the internal organs may be affected. This form is life threatening. It occurs almost exclusively in people with a primary disease with a severely weakened immune system. Such diseases can be, for example: HIV-infections, lymphocytic leukemia or cancer, with many subsidiary sores all over his body (carcinomatosis).

Complications are usually in immunocompromised people.
Complications occur only in rare cases. Most of them strongly immunocompromised people are affected. Among the complications:

* Zoster meningitis (inflammation of the meninges)
* Zoster encephalitis (inflammation of brain tissue)
* Mylelitis zoster (inflammation of the spinal cord)