What are shingles?!
Question: Introduction
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Also known as herpes zoster, it often appears as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone. Other parts of your body can be involved as well, including your neck, face or scalp.
The pain of shingles can be excruciating, and the cause might not be immediately evident. But once the telltale rash and blisters start on one side of your body, it's more easily identified as shingles.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive (dormant) in your nerves. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
Shingles isn't a life-threatening condition, but it can be very painful. Sometimes, the rash leads to a debilitating complication called postherpetic neuralgia. This condition causes the skin to remain painful and sensitive to touch for months or even years after the rash clears up.
Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles, while early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and minimize the chance of complications.
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of shingles may include:
Pain, burning, tingling, numbness or extreme sensitivity in a certain part of your body
A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
Itching
Fever and chills
Headache
Upset stomach or abdominal pain
Typically, the shingles rash occurs on only one side of your body. This is an important sign to help diagnose shingles. It may appear, for example, as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone, following the path of the nerve where the virus had been inactive. Sometimes, the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.
Pain is usually the first symptom of shingles. For some, it can be intense, with just the slightest touch causing severe pain. Sometimes the pain can be mistaken for other problems or diseases, such as kidney stones, gallstones or appendicitis, depending on its location. Some people experience the pain without the rash, which makes diagnosing shingles more difficult.
Although the shingles rash may resemble chickenpox, the virus typically causes more pain and less itching the second time around.
Causes
Shingles affects the nerves
Shingles is a second eruption of the varicella-zoster virus
Answers: Introduction
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Also known as herpes zoster, it often appears as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone. Other parts of your body can be involved as well, including your neck, face or scalp.
The pain of shingles can be excruciating, and the cause might not be immediately evident. But once the telltale rash and blisters start on one side of your body, it's more easily identified as shingles.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you've had chickenpox, the virus lies inactive (dormant) in your nerves. Years later, the virus may reactivate as shingles.
Shingles isn't a life-threatening condition, but it can be very painful. Sometimes, the rash leads to a debilitating complication called postherpetic neuralgia. This condition causes the skin to remain painful and sensitive to touch for months or even years after the rash clears up.
Vaccines can help reduce the risk of shingles, while early treatment can help shorten a shingles infection and minimize the chance of complications.
Signs and symptoms
The signs and symptoms of shingles may include:
Pain, burning, tingling, numbness or extreme sensitivity in a certain part of your body
A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
Itching
Fever and chills
Headache
Upset stomach or abdominal pain
Typically, the shingles rash occurs on only one side of your body. This is an important sign to help diagnose shingles. It may appear, for example, as a band of blisters that wraps from the middle of your back around one side of your chest to your breastbone, following the path of the nerve where the virus had been inactive. Sometimes, the shingles rash occurs around one eye or on one side of the neck or face.
Pain is usually the first symptom of shingles. For some, it can be intense, with just the slightest touch causing severe pain. Sometimes the pain can be mistaken for other problems or diseases, such as kidney stones, gallstones or appendicitis, depending on its location. Some people experience the pain without the rash, which makes diagnosing shingles more difficult.
Although the shingles rash may resemble chickenpox, the virus typically causes more pain and less itching the second time around.
Causes
Shingles affects the nerves
Shingles is a second eruption of the varicella-zoster virus