Understanding Shingles

Herpes Zoster is the technical name for Shingles and it is a disease caused by a virus called varicella-zoster.  This is the same virus that causes chickenpox.  The nerve endings are affected in the skin and it can show up anywhere on the body.  Usually though, it will be found on the skin of the stomach under the ribs and up toward the naval.  It is also found many times in the vaginal tissues and on the inside of the mouth. 

Most adults have had chickenpox as children.  It comes and causes a very itchy rash and then goes away without permanent damage.  The problem is once the varicella-zoster virus invades the body causing chickenpox, it does not go away.  It lies dormant in the spinal cord and nerve ganglia for years waiting to be activated.  This happens when the immune system becomes wakened for some reason.

Once this is activated, the infection spreads to the nerve endings which cause them to send impulses to the brain which the brain sees as severe pain, itching or burning.  The overlying skin becomes much more sensitive than it is usually and an estimated 90 percent of individuals who have had chickenpox as kids will develop Shingles.
Most people who develop Shingles are over 50 years of age and have a weakened immune system.  Cancer, certain medicines that weaken the immune system and those with the AIDS virus are most susceptible.

What Happens with the Shingles Virus?

Usually Shingles appears after 3 or 4 days of fever, chills, aches and pains.  The visible effect is a rash that has tiny fluid-filled blisters surrounded by a red rim.  It becomes very painful and very sensitive if touched.  The pain can start even before the visible appearance.  In a few days, the bumps that first form turn into blisters with a stinging or burning pain.  It can wrap round the back and chest and may be on the side of the face.

Numbness, fatigue, depression, tingling, shooting pains, swollen painful lymph nodes, fever and headache all can be symptoms of Shingles.  This will last from 7 to 14 days and the blisters will form scabs that are crusty and fall off leaving scars.

Shingles can also mean swollen eyelids with redness and pain and these scars can affect the vision.  Glaucoma may develop in later life.