Week 5: What should I be looking for?

In order to catch shingles early, you should be educated in what to look and feel for.  We always hear of signs and symptoms, but what is the difference between the two? Signs are a condition that is visible to the patient as well as others.  Symptoms are any description the patient has of the condition in question, essentially something others can’t see.  With shingles, the most common signs and symptoms include (Mayo Clinic, 2014)…

• Pain, burning, numbness or tingling in a specific area (symptom)
• Sensitivity to touch (symptom)
• A formed red rash that begins after the pain (sign)
• Itching (symptom)

Other individuals may experience additional signs and symptoms that include…

• Fever (symptom/sign)
• Headache (symptom)
• Sensitivity to light (symptom)
• Fatigue (symptom)
• If the rash is located on the face, loss of vision may occur (symptom)

http://www.adultandpediatricdermatology.com/pics/pic046.jpg

The rash is the most prominent sign of shingles. As previously stated, the rash will form around a segment of a dermatome (see previous weeks for more information and photographs!). Once the rash appears, the blisters can open up. It is during this phase that the person is contagious since the virus lives inside the exudate. Transmission is caused by direct contact (CDC, 2014).  This means that the fluid from the blisters would need to come in contact with another individual.  From there the virus can enter the body through cracks in the skin, by mouth, and other portals of entry.  Although the other person cannot contract shingles itself, they can contract the virus. If a person has not previously had the chickenpox or the vaccine, then they may develop the chickenpox if coming in contact with the open sores (CDC, 2014). After the blisters open, a scab will begin to form over them in 7-10 days (CDC, 2014).  Once this scab has formed, you are no longer contagious.  Until this time, it is important to keep the rash covered, avoid scratching the rash, and most importantly WASH YOUR HANDS (CDC, 2014)!

Below I have listed a timeline on when these symptoms may appear, and how long it will last.

 

National Institutes of Health. (April, 2013). Shingles. NIH SeniorHealth. Retrieved from http://nihseniorhealth.gov/shingles/symptomsanddiagnosis/01.html

This link also provides additional information on the timeline of the signs and symptoms for shingles in addition to the ones listed in the reference section.

http://nihseniorhealth.gov/shingles/symptomsanddiagnosis/01.html

References:

 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (September, 2014). Transmission. Shingles (Herpes Zoster). Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/shingles/about/transmission.html

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (May, 2014). Signs & Symptoms. Shingles (Herpes Zoster). Retrieved from  http://www.cdc.gov/shingles/about/transmission.html

Mayo Clinic. (December, 2014). Symptoms. Diseases and Conditions: Shingles. Retrieved from http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/basics/symptoms/con-20019574

National Institutes of Health. (April, 2013). Shingles. NIH SeniorHealth. Retrieved from http://nihseniorhealth.gov/shingles/symptomsanddiagnosis/01.html