Symptoms
Shingles is a disease that affects your nerves. It can cause burning, shooting pain, tingling, and/or itching, as well as a rash and blisters. You may recall having chickenpox as a child. Shingles is caused by the same virus, the varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
Causes
Read and share this infographic to learn more about shingles. Shingles is a disease that affects your nerves. It can cause burning, shooting pain, tingling, and/or itching, as well as a rash and blisters.
Prevention
Other groups prone to developing shingles include: Early symptoms of shingles can appear several days before the more obvious symptoms. However, some people will not have early symptoms before a rash appears. The most common early symptoms occur on one part of the body or face. This often happens in the abdominal area.
Complications
But, it is possible to have it more than once. After the shingles rash goes away, some people may be left with ongoing pain called post-herpetic neuralgia or PHN. The pain is felt in the area where the rash had been. For some people, PHN is the longest lasting and worst part of shingles.
What is shingles and how is it treated?
What do you know about shingles?
Are You prone to developing shingles?
Can you have shingles more than once?
What is the early treatment for shingles?
Call your doctor as soon as you suspect shingles so you can begin treatment as early as possible. Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), or famciclovir (Famvir) can make symptoms less severe and shorten the length of the illness if taken early.
Which is the most commonly prescribed first line treatment for shingles?
Aciclovir is the recommended first-line antiviral treatment for shingles in patients who are immunocompromised, however, treatment should be given for ten days instead of seven. Valaciclovir is an alternative.
What is the most common treatment for shingles?
Shingles is often treated with an antiviral medicine. These medicines can reduce the severity and duration of your symptoms. Acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir are commonly prescribed. Your doctor will decide whether one of these medicines is right for you.
When should you seek treatment for shingles?
It is important to see a doctor as soon as a person notices the symptoms of shingles. The National Institute on Aging recommend that people seek medical treatment no later than 3 days after the rash appears. Early treatment can limit pain, help the rash heal quicker, and may reduce scarring.
How do you stop shingles from progressing?
To stop yourself from spreading varicella-zoster to anyone else, try to cover up your rash when possible and avoid directly touching it. The best way to prevent shingles is to get a shingles vaccine.
Do I need a shingles shot if I take acyclovir?
Acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir are antiviral drugs that are active against herpesviruses. These drugs will have no effect on Shingrix, which does not contain live varicella virus.
What is the most painful stage of shingles?
Typically, the peak pain of shingles is felt within 4 or 5 days after the first symptoms develop, and it comes along with a blistering rash. As the blisters scab over, the pain usually starts to disappear. In some cases, the pain does not go away. This is known as a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.
What are the first signs of having shingles?
SymptomsPain, burning, numbness or tingling.Sensitivity to touch.A red rash that begins a few days after the pain.Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over.Itching.
Should I go to the hospital if I think I have shingles?
It's best to seek emergency medical treatment when you have a painful, blistering rash and fever along with your shingles.
What are the three stages of shingles?
Shingles' clinical manifestations are divided into 3 distinct phases: preeruptive, acute eruptive, and chronic. The preeruptive phase (or preherpetic neuralgia stage) usually lasts about 48 hours but can stretch to 10 days in some cases.
What is the best treatment for shingles?
These medications include: Acyclovir (Zovirax) Famciclovir. Valacyclovir (Valtrex) Shingles can cause severe pain, so your doctor also may prescribe:
How to stop blisters from itching?
Taking a cool bath or using cool, wet compresses on your blisters may help relieve the itching and pain. And, if possible, try to reduce the amount of stress in your life.
What is a topical patch?
Capsaicin topical patch (Qutenza) Anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin (Neurontin) Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline. Numbing agents, such as lidocaine, delivered via a cream, gel, spray or skin patch. Medications that contain narcotics, such as codeine.
What is the best medicine for shingles?
Lower your risk of developing long-lasting nerve pain and other health problems. One of three antiviral medications is usually prescribed—acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir.
What happens if you have shingles?
If there is any question about whether you have shingles, your dermatologist will scrape a bit of fluid from a blister. This will be sent to a lab where a doctor will look at the fluid under a high-powered microscope. When you have shingles, the fluid contains the virus that causes shingles.
How long does it take for a blister to go away?
If you have a healthy immune system, the blisters tend to clear in 7 to 10 days. The rash tends to go away completely within 2 to 4 weeks. The pain may last longer, but usually stops in 1 or 2 months. For some people, the pain will last longer than the rash.
How long does a person with postherpetic neuralgia last?
When it does, it’s called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which can come and go or be constant. PHN can last for months, years, or the rest of your life. Treatment can help reduce the amount of pain you feel. Be sure to tell your doctor if you continue to have pain. Treatment can help you feel more comfortable.
What is shingles caused by?
It can cause burning, shooting pain, tingling, and/or itching, as well as a rash and blisters. You may recall having chickenpox as a child. Shingles is caused by the same virus, the varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
Where does shingles develop?
Usually, shingles develops only on one side of the body or face and in a small area rather than all over . The most common place for shingles is a band that goes around one side of your waistline. Most people have some of the following shingles symptoms: Feeling sick—chills, fever, upset stomach, or headache.
How long does it take for a rash to appear on the skin?
The first sign is often burning or tingling pain; sometimes, it includes numbness or itching on one side of the body. Somewhere between one and five days after the tingling or burning feeling on the skin, a red rash will appear. A few days later, the rash will turn into fluid-filled blisters.
What are the symptoms of shingles?
Fluid-filled blisters. Skin that is sensitive to touch. Mild itching to strong pain. Depending on where shingles develops, it could also cause symptoms like hiccups or even loss of vision.
Can a doctor test for shingles?
The doctor will confirm whether or not you have shingles and can make a treatment plan. If you have a condition that weakens the immune system, the doctor may give you a shingles test. The shingles test can also help doctors diagnose shingles in people who don't have a rash.
How to treat shingles?
Treatments for shingles include antivirals, prescription or OTC pain relievers, and anti-itch ointments. People can also use home remedies to relieve the symptoms. For example, taking an oatmeal bath and applying a cold compress to the rash can help soothe painful or itchy skin.
What is the best medicine for shingles?
A doctor can treat shingles with the following prescription medications: antivirals, such as acyclovir (Zovirax), famciclovir (Famvir), and valacyclovir (Valtrex) corticosteroids, such as prednisone (Deltasone), to reduce inflammation.
What is a shingle?
Summary. Shingles is a common viral infection that occurs due to the reactivation of VZV particles. Shingles causes a distinctive band-shaped rash of painful, fluid-filled blisters that wraps around one side of the face, neck, or torso.
How soon after shingles can you see a doctor?
The National Institute on Aging recommend that people seek medical treatment no more than 3 days after a shingles rash appears.
What is shingles rash?
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a disease that results from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). The primary VZV infection causes chickenpox, usually in children and young adults. This highly contagious disease causes a large rash of itchy blisters.
How long does it take for shingles to appear?
The rash may appear within several days to a few weeks of the initial symptoms presenting.
How long does it take to cure shingles?
The American Academy of Dermatology recommend that a person with shingles receive treatment within 3 days. Timely and effective treatment can help prevent complications, such as chronic nerve pain.
How long does it take for shingles to go away?
If your shingles pain lasts eight to 12 weeks after the rash goes away, you're part of an "unfortunate minority," says pain researcher Andrew S.C. Rice, MD, of Imperial College, London. "Among people with PHN, some have their pain resolve in the first year to 18 months after the shingles rash goes away," Rice tells WebMD.
Why does shingles hurt?
It's caused by nerve damage left behind by a case of shingles. Shingles itself comes from reactivation of a chickenpox virus, varicella zoster. The virus travels down nerve fibers to cause a painful skin rash. When the rash goes away, the pain usually goes with it. But for 12% to 15% of people the pain remains.
How to stop shingles pain?
Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles. Early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and lessen the chance of complications. The most common complication is postherpetic neuralgia, which causes shingles pain for a long time after your blisters have cleared.
What causes shingles in the body?
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus — the same virus that causes chickenpox. Anyone who's had chickenpox may develop shingles. After you recover from chickenpox, the virus enters your nervous system and lies dormant for years.
Where do shingles blisters go?
Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso.
Where does shingles rash occur?
Sometimes the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.
Does shingles reduce neuralgia?
But this vaccine will likely reduce the course and severity of the disease and reduce your risk of postherpetic neuralgia. The shingles vaccine is used only as a prevention strategy. It's not intended to treat people who currently have the disease. Talk to your doctor about which option is right for you.
What is the best treatment for shingles?
Call your doctor as soon as you suspect shingles so you can begin treatment as early as possible. Antiviral drugs such as acyclovir (Zovirax), valacyclovir (Valtrex), or famciclovir (Famvir) can make symptoms less severe and shorten the length of the illness if taken early.
What are the causes of shingles?
Other groups prone to developing shingles include: 1 people with HIV 2 people undergoing cancer treatments 3 people who have had organ transplants 4 people experiencing a lot of stress
How long does it take for shingles to scab?
After about 1 to 5 days, a shingles rash will appear on one side of the body, often in a single characteristic band around one side of the torso or face. The painful rash will then form itchy or burning blister-like sores filled with a clear fluid. The blisters will scab over in 7 to 10 days.
How do you know if you have shingles?
The most common early symptoms occur on one part of the body or face. This often happens in the abdominal area. These symptoms many include: numbness. itching. tingling. burning pain. The pain can worsen as shingles develops. The pain can be sharp, stabbing, and intense.
How many people in the US have shingles?
state that almost 1 in 3 people in the US will develop shingles in their lifetime. But some people are more likely to develop shingles than others. It is estimated. Trusted Source. that half of all cases of shingles occur in people aged 60 years and older.
What are the symptoms of shingles?
nausea. general feeling of being unwell. fever. Your doctor can often diagnose shingles based on these symptoms. Your doctor may prescribe medication to speed up recovery. Medication also reduces the chance of complications, so seeking early intervention is important.
Can you recover from shingles?
If you don’t experience any complications while you have shingles, you can usually expect to make a full recovery. However, recent studies show that shingles recurrence is higher than believed. About 8% of cases recur. Fortunately, you can take proactive steps to prevent attacks in children and seniors.
What is shingles skin?
Shingles is a painful skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Learn about the disease, its symptoms, treatment, and prevention. Share this infographic and help spread the word about shingles. Click on the social media icons above, or copy and paste the URL and post it to your account (Twitter, Facebook, etc.).
What are the symptoms of shingles?
Here are 5 things you need to know about shingles: 1 Anyone who has recovered from chickenpox, and even children, can get shingles. 2 Symptoms of shingles include burning or shooting pain, tingling or itching, chills, fever, headache, upset stomach, and rashes or blisters that develop on one side of the body, usually on your face or around your waist. There are medicines that may help. 3 Healthy adults age 50 and older should talk to their healthcare professional about getting the shingles vaccine to reduce their risk. 4 Generally shingles is not contagious, but a person with active shingles can spread the virus when the rash is in the blister phase. It's important to keep the rash covered. 5 Most cases of shingles last 3-5 weeks. Most people get shingles only one time, but, it is possible to have it more than once.
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