Clinical Picture of Shingles

Shingles is the name given to the skin rash that occurs because of the same virus that causes chicken pox.

When a person gets infected by chicken pox the virus causing it does not totally go away from the body. It lies here and there in suppressed form. When due to some medical conditions like weak immune system or some other disease like cancer, aids and also due to some stress this virus reactivates and causes skin rashes called shingles.

Shingles Symptoms

It mainly affects people in old age. Before the rash appears, a burning sensation on the area is experienced for many days. Tingling and shooting pains are also sometimes experienced.

Shingle starts with a small red blister. Pain is so severe that it takes time to go away. If the shingle appears on the face it can affect your vision and hearing too. So it becomes necessary to see the doctor. One can also experience fever, chills, pain while urinating and diarrhoea.

Shingles starts with a small blister and then turns to fluid filled blisters. They mainly appear on chest or back. After 7 to 8 days they change shape and blisters fall off. Rash can go away but some people experience pain for months.

Treatment of Shingles

There is no treatment for shingles. There is vaccination for people of age 60 or more. Patient can be given anti-viral medicine to reduce the duration and severity of the infection. Doctor can also prescribe steroids if the pain is very severe.

You can try some home remedies to overcome pain and itching. Powder two aspirin tablets and mix them with alcohol and apply them on the blisters. This would give you relief from pain. Keep yourself cool and applying some cold packs could give you great relief.

Don’t scratch blisters and keep them open and don’t cover them. Applying yoghurt on the shingles also gives relief. Eating pear or having its juice in large quantities would give you relief.

All these remedies give you temporary relief. There is no good solution for shingles. They take there own time to go away.