Shingles symptoms in adults
Shingles has two forms - typical and atypical, which manifest themselves in different ways.
Typical shape. It goes through 3 stages, each of which is characterized by its own set of symptoms:
The first stage lasts 2 to 4 days. The patient begins to be bothered by painful sensations of a neuralgic type, tingling, burning, itching in the place where rashes soon form. Often there is a disorder of the function of the gastrointestinal tract, the temperature rises to 39 ° C, the lymph nodes increase.
The second stage is characterized by the appearance of a rash. First, red spots of different sizes appear - up to 5 mm. After 3 to 4 days, bubbles (vesicles) form. This process is also accompanied by pain and itching.
The third stage occurs when crusts begin to form in place of the bubbles. Over time, they dry up and fall off. With shingles, skin lesions heal in 10 to 14 days. But neuralgic manifestations remain.
Symptoms of shingles in a child
The main symptoms.
- Pain in the area of the skin corresponding to the nerve affected by the virus, accompanied by a burning sensation (several hours before the onset of the rash).
- Radicular (sharp, shooting) pain in muscles and joints (during the period of the presence of rashes).
- A burning sensation, numbness and tingling sensation in the area of the affected skin.
- The appearance on the surface of the skin of a group of bubbles of various sizes, the skin in the area of the rash becomes edematous, redness is observed.
- Swollen lymph nodes.
- Localization of rashes: for the classic form of shingles, unilateral rashes are characteristic. As a rule, the rash is localized along the intercostal nerves, branches of the trigeminal nerve, that is, on the face, scalp, chest and abdomen in the direction from the spine to the sternum, as if encircling the body (hence the name "shingles"). After a few days, the contents of the bubbles become cloudy, the bubbles dry out, and a crust forms on their surface. The crust falls off, and light pigmentation remains in its place. After this, a second wave of rashes is possible. As a rule, no scars remain. Complete healing of ulcers occurs in 2-4 weeks.