Shingles is a painful skin condition that can occur, especially in people with a weakened immune system. What symptoms to look out for.
Kassel – Anyone who has ever had chickenpox can later get herpes zoster. In Germany, around 350,000 people contract herpes zoster, also known as shingles, every year. It occurs more frequently in older people, but can in principle occur at any age.
Shingles is a viral disease. Typical sign of this is a painful rash that sounds loud MSD Manual caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. It usually heals within a few weeks, but early treatment is important to prevent it from multiplying, shorten the duration of the pain, and reduce the risk of complications. We have summarized below how shingles develops and what symptoms can occur.
Shingles: Symptoms and Causes of Herpes Zoster
As the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) informs, the varicella zoster virus (VZV) can cause two different clinical pictures: Varicella (chickenpox) in the case of exogenous initial infection and Herpes zoster (shingles) with endogenous reactivation.
After chickenpox, the viruses remain inactive in the body (in the nerve node) and can be reactivated years later and cause shingles. It has not yet been clarified exactly how reactivation occurs. However, it is believed that stress, immunodeficiency and other infections can promote reactivation.
Common symptoms include:
- General malaise, malaise
- headache and body aches
- Light fever
- skin tingling
- pain (burning, stinging)
- Belt-shaped rash with liquid blisters that later crust
- Source: RKI
Although chickenpox and shingles are caused by the same pathogen, the risk of contracting herpes zoster is lower. Unlike chickenpox, shingles is only contagious if you come into direct contact with the fluid in the sores. It is mainly only contagious to people who have not had chickenpox before. An infection triggers a chickenpox disease, but not shingles.
Shingles: diagnosis, treatment and prevention
Those affected who suspect shingles advises MSD Manual to see your family doctor or dermatologist immediately. The typical clinical picture often quickly leads to a diagnosis. Since the pain first occurs in the early stages and the skin changes only later, it can sometimes lead to uncertainties. In such cases, certain tests (wound swab or blood test) help to reliably identify shingles and rule out other diseases with similar symptoms.
Shingles is usually treated with antiviral medication and careful skin care. Since August 2004, the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) has recommended chickenpox vaccination for all children and young people. And since the end of 2018, the STIKO has been recommending vaccination for all people over the age of 60 with an inactivated vaccine.
Editor’s note
The information given in this article does not replace a visit to a doctor. Only experts can make the right diagnosis and initiate appropriate therapy. The intake of medication or dietary supplements should be discussed with a doctor beforehand.
Possible consequences of shingles
In most cases, herpes zoster can be treated well. In some cases, however, it can lead to complications, post-herpetic neuralgia. The affected nerves are permanently damaged by zoster. In the worst case, the symptoms remain for life even after the rash has disappeared. Shingles with this complication is particularly feared in older people, since the pain can also have a paralyzing effect.
Early detection and treatment is therefore essential to prevent persistent shingles symptoms. (Vivian Werg)