Shingles rash and pain

Shingles rash pain

        Shingles which causes rash and pain is a disease of the skin and is only slightly contagious, as people believe. This is actually an infectious disease caused by herpes zoster. Herpes zoster is the virus that causes chickenpox.

Shingles skin rash

        Any person suffering an attack of shingles should avoid people at risk: very young children, pregnant women and immunocompromised patients. To develop shingles, he must therefore have already contracted the disease infant. After the episode of Shingles, the virus travels along a sensory nerve to lodge itself in the ganglia of the spinal cord. He remains there in a dormant state until a decline in immunity allows reactivation (25% of adults who have had chickenpox will develop shingles).
Shingles rash has three phases:

Shingles pain Stage 1

• Intense and constant pain in a specific region (thorax, head, neck, lower back or lower limbs) and usually unilateral;
• Absence of skin lesions;
• May last from several hours to several weeks.

Shingles pain Stage 2

• Reddening and blistering rash or blisters limited to the painful area (along the affected nerve);
• Constant pain and itching;
• Risk of fatigue;
• Lasts three to four weeks.

Shingles pain Stage 3

• Removal of skin lesions;
• Healing.

Shingles rash symptoms

        Do not burst shingles rash blisters. Lesions might become infected quickly. Leave the blisters heal by themselves, they better. Consult a doctor at the onset of lesions. To control the viral infection, treatment must begin within 24 to 72 hours after the rash. Do not get exposed to ultraviolet rays. Avoid exposure to ultraviolet light (sunlight, tanning salon, etc..), Which would increase inflammation. Take pain relievers.

Shingles rash treatment

        Shingles rash can cause very severe shingles pain which can be relieved by acetaminophen 500 mg (2 tablets 4 times a day maximum). If pain persists, your doctor will prescribe painkillers containing codeine or other narcotics. The treatment is to prescribe an oral antiviral type acyclovir, valacyclovir or famciclovir. These three drugs have the effect of stopping the spread of the virus, reducing the duration of the disease and reduce the risk of postherpetic neuralgia. Obviously, the administration of an analgesic containing codeine or corticosteroid tablets helps to relieve shingles pain.

Shingles rash contagious

        Shingles is not contagious. It is not possible to develop shingles after being in contact with someone with shingles. However, in certain circumstances, a person in contact with a patient with shingles can develop chickenpox. For this, we must never have caught chickenpox (10% of the population). Then he must come into contact with the contents of the vesicles. During episodes of shingles are formed vesicles (buttons) filled with a liquid containing particles of the chickenpox virus. These particles can infect someone else if they come into contact with mucous membranes. Just for example, rubbing the eyes or mouth with hands contaminated by the virus. This contamination may be dangerous for people with weakened immune systems, but also for infants and for pregnant women (dangerous to the fetus).

Shingles rash and pain pictures