Boniform

Symptoms of shingles
Early signs and symptoms of shingles:
Just before the appearance of the telltale rash, you may suffer from:
• Fever Headache
• Enlarged lymph nodes
• Very sensitive and painful skin with tingling or burning around the area of the appearance of the rash

Blister stage and symptoms of shingles: It usually appears as a band, following the route of a nerve supply to the skin.

After a few days, a rash appears. The classical characteristics of the rash are as follows:
• Small fluid-filled blisters, also called vesicles
• Red and swollen surrounding skin
• After three to five days the blisters burst
• Blisters turn into sores
• Gradually the sores dry out to form crusts, also called scabs
• The scabs fall off after two to three weeks
At first, the rash consists of small red spots and reddened skin in the same area. The spots then turn into small blisters, which dry up after a few days and gradually form scabs. Once the scabs have fallen off, a small pock-mark may be left.

Complications of Shingles
There are a number of possible complications that can result from shingles. Hoever these are more common on those with weakened immune system.
Infection:
• Secondary bacterial infection of the blisters due to scratching; sweating around the breast region; close fitting clothes that cause undue friction.
Shingles on the face:
• Eruptions very close to the eyes (ophthalmic zoster) which can cause a red and streaming eye (conjunctivitis), or at the top of the nose, may cause scarring on the cornea; this in turn can affect your vision
• In rare cases, this may lead to a temporary hearing loss, facial paralysis and decreased sense of taste
Post-herpetic neuralgia:
• After the rash heals, shingles may lead to pain that can last for months or years. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and occurs because the virus that causes shingles damages certain nerves. The pain can last for months or years and can vary from:
• aching
• burning and throbbing
• stabbing and shooting.
Scarring:
• There are a number of possible complications that can result from shingles. Small white spot scars from the blisters are possible but not common.
Encephalitis:
• Which only occurs in rare cases, and causes a high fever and confusion


1) http://www.painfoundation.org/learn/programs/spotlight-on-shingles/signs-symptoms-shingles.html.
2) http://hcd2.bupa.co.uk/fact_sheets/Mosby_factsheets/shingles.html.
3) http://www.familyhealthguide.co.uk/shingles/symptoms.html