Shingles Symptoms

Shingles is a medical condition that is extremely painful even though it is not life threatening. This viral infection results in a painful rash. While this rash can be seen on any part of the body, in most cases it primarily affects the left or right side of the torso in the form of a strip of blisters. This rash is caused by the varicella zoster virus and this is the same virus that causes chicken pox. In cases of chicken pox, the virus may remain inactive within the nerve tissue near the spinal cord as well as the brain. This virus may become reactivated years later in the form of shingles. By identifying the singles symptoms, treatment for this condition can be taken.

The diagnosis of this condition is largely done by identifying shingles symptoms. This condition tends to affect a section of one side of the body. The associated signs include pain, tingling and numbness. The rash tends to appear few days after the pain and this rash is red. The rash consists of fluid filled blisters that tend to break open and crusting of the blisters is also observed.

Other related shingles symptoms may include itching, headache, fatigue, general bodyache and fever as well as chills. In this condition people often tend to experience considerable pain in the initial stages and this pain can be quite unrelenting and intense. In many cases the pain may be mistaken to be a symptom of serious problems affecting the lungs, kidneys or heart. Tenderness as well as swelling in the lymph nodes may also be experienced in some cases. In some cases people may not experience any pain and the rash may appear in the absence of pain. While the rash tends to appear in the form of a single stripe on left or right side of the torso, in some cases it may also appear around a single eye or on the side of the face or neck.

The pain which is a part of the shingles symptoms may include deep shooting pain. The typical cycle in this infection includes appearance of red raised bumps as well as blisters after one to three days of pain. These blisters then get filled up with pus and scabs form around 10 to 12 days after this. The scabs tend to fall off in the period of next two to three weeks and scarring may occur. In some cases patients may experience postherpetic neuralgia wherein the pain remains in the area even after the rash has gone.

With shingles as many as 15% of the patients suffering from this condition experience postherpetic neuralgia. In many cases this affects people over the age of 50 years. The pain associated with postherpetic neuralgia is a stabbing pain along with aching as well as burning in the area of the rash. The pain tends to linger even years after the rash and patients also tend to be extremely sensitive to touch. In the absence of proper diagnosis and treatment, people may find it difficult to perform their daily activities properly.