Symptoms of Shingles - Risk Factors and Shingles Symptoms

Shingles, otherwise known as Herpes zoster, is a disease caused by the varicella virus that causes chickenpox. In the United States, one out of ten adults has not yet had chickenpox. If you have had chickenpox at some time in your life, you are at risk for getting shingles, which can occur at anytime in your life without warning.

Shingles is marked by a painful red rash that become blisters which break open, resulting in the leakage of a clear fluid that is infectious to those who have never had chickenpox before. That person won't get shingles, but will develop chickenpox, which can reappear later in the form of shingles.

Symptoms of Shingles include the following:

• Severe pain, burning, or skin sensitivity


• A red rash that begins a few days after the pain


• Pain before the rash


• Blisters that break open and crust over


• Itching


• Fever


• Headache


• Fatigue


• Pain in the lower back or abdominal area

The rash can occur anywhere on the body, usually on one side, which is a classic sign that can aid in diagnosis. Some people experience extreme pain, while other may only have mild to moderate pain. The blisters that form can resemble other conditions such as:

• Herpes simplex


• Gallstones


• Bell's palsy


• Ramsay Hunt Syndrome

After having a bout of the chickenpox, the virus lives in the nerve fibers, dormant for years until prolonged stress reactivates it. When a breakout occurs, it follows a dermatomal pattern, traveling along the nerve route the dormant virus occupied. Shingles can also occur due to immune disorders such as lupus, sickle cell disease, and chemotherapy for cancer treatment.

Risk Factors:

• Age: Shingles usually occurs in people 50-60 years old and up


• Children


• Anyone who has had chicken pox


• Weakened immune system such as AIDS


• Newborn babies


• Pregnancy

If you are healthy and had chickenpox before, exposure to shingles will not affect you. Your risk occurs if you have never had it. Exposure to someone shedding the virus, such as while the blisters are open and seeping fluid, you can get chickenpox, subsequently getting shingles later. You can protect yourself by staying away from someone who has an active case of chickenpox or shingles, particularly if you are pregnant. The virus can cause harm to unborn babies. It is important that if you are middle age to talk with your doctor about getting the vaccine, which is a chickenpox booster to lessen your risk of a shingles outbreak.

You should see your doctor, however, if you have a shingles outbreak that has spread to your face. This can spread to your eyes and cause permanent visual difficulty. In addition to this, if pain is extreme or the complication of cellulitis develops, a visit to your doctor is advised.

by Barb Hicks, RN/LMT