Table of contents:
- When do the symptoms of shingles appear?
After the viral infection becomes active again, the sufferer will begin to experience a number of health problems. As with chickenpox, common features such as skin rashes do not appear right away. The shingles infection phase will show two types of symptoms, namely the initial symptoms and the main symptoms:
The early characteristics of shingles
- The main symptom of shingles
- Shingles complications
- When to see a doctor for shingles symptoms?
Shingles or shingles is a continuation of the virus that causes chickenpox. This means that you may get shingles if you have already had chickenpox. The characteristics of shingles are the same as the symptoms of chickenpox, which is a rash in the form of red spots on the skin. The difference is, the distribution pattern gathers in one part. Find out more fully every symptom of shingles through this review!
When do the symptoms of shingles appear?
After the viral infection becomes active again, the sufferer will begin to experience a number of health problems. As with chickenpox, common features such as skin rashes do not appear right away. The shingles infection phase will show two types of symptoms, namely the initial symptoms and the main symptoms:
The early characteristics of shingles
The virus that reactivates will enter the nerves of the skin and cause pain and a sensation of heat on the affected skin surface. Pain will appear on the front of the body, such as the face, chest, stomach to the hands and feet.
Traits like this are the typical symptoms of shingles which distinguish it from the symptoms of chickenpox.
According to the National Institute of Aging, sometimes this pain in the nerves of the skin is followed by numbness or itching on one side of the body. If this disease occurs in children, usually the pain disorder that appears is not too severe.
Patients also usually feel several other health problems in the early stages of infection. Apart from the pain in the skin, the initial characteristics of chickenpox that can be experienced are:
- Fever
- Muscle and joint pain
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Stomach ache
The main symptom of shingles
Within 5 days, an infection in the nerve area can cause the skin to become slightly swollen so that a red rash starts to appear on the surface of the skin.
Unlike the characteristic chicken pox with a spreading rash, the rash in the form of reddish spots on shingles will focus on one area of the skin.
This rash only forms on one part of the body. The spreading pattern of the rash is most often found in the waist circumference.
Within a few days afterward, this red rash will turn into bouncy or fluid-filled skin blisters. This resilience can cause a strong itching or burning sensation.
The elastic will dry to form a crust or scab in about 10 days. If the crusted boilers are left un-scratched, they can peel off on their own in less than a week. A new outer layer of skin will form over the next 4 weeks.
In patients aged 60 years and over the rash can be very painful. The pain that characterizes shingles in the beginning may disappear or continue until the rash dries up.
In short, the development of the rash symptoms on shingles will go through the following phases:
- Rash in the form of red spots that collect on one part of the skin
- Strong itching and soreness arises from deep within the skin
- The rash turns into fluid-filled (resilient) skin blisters
- The elastic dries up and forms a scab
Shingles complications
In general, shingles can go away without causing dangerous complications. However, some people can experience long-term complications. Pain disorders in the nervous system of the skin that occur after the healing of shingles are called post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).
In the book Deadly Diseases and Epidemics: Chickenpox, people aged 6o years and over have a 50 percent chance of experiencing PHN after recovering from shingles. This disease can prolong the characteristics of the pain and burning sensation in the skin that is felt when having shingles.
PHN occurs because the Varicella-zoster virus that actively replicates can damage or even kill nerve cells.
But what's worse, the development of the virus can cause inflammation of the nerves that can spread to the spinal cord or brain. If this happens, the signal disturbance in the nervous system will cause pain.
When damaged nerve cells regenerate, they become overactive and cause pain again. Nerve damage from PHN can take years to recover.
Several types of shingles complications that are also at risk of occurring, apart from those characterized by prolonged pain are:
- Herpes zoster ophthalmicus: loss of vision when shingles attacks the eye.
- Otic zoster: partial hearing loss when shingles attacks the ear.
- Bell's palsy: nervous system paralysis.
When to see a doctor for shingles symptoms?
Diagnosis and treatment of shingles can prevent the condition from worsening and complications from shingles.
Therefore, if you experience the characteristics of shingles mentioned above, immediately see a doctor. Especially when experiencing conditions such as:
- Shingles symptoms appear inside the eye.
- Included in the risk group: aged over 60 years, pregnant women, have a weak immune system, experiencing stress, etc.
- The rash spreads almost all over the body.
The doctor will conduct an examination and provide treatment according to the condition and severity of symptoms. The drugs given are usually in the form of antivirals such as acyclovir and analgesic drugs to treat pain such as capsaicin ointment and lidocaine patches.
If you have a health problem or have questions regarding this condition, consult your doctor further for the best solution.
