Signs and Symptoms
Pain, itching, and burning or tingling in a specific location on the skin are the first symptoms that develop. After a few days, that same area will develop painful, red bumps that become blisters over 1–2 days and then burst after 5–7 days, leaving sores on the skin that eventually form scabs. You may also have fever, chills, headache, and generalized body aches. Because the virus travels down a nerve to the skin, shingles usually appears on only one side of the body and affects a specific area of the skin. Shingles commonly occurs on the chest, but it may also affect other parts of the body, including the face. The blisters may be in a cluster or a linear pattern. Most people completely recover within 4 weeks.
A particularly serious form of shingles occurs on the face and can affect the eye, possibly affecting vision if it is not promptly treated.
One of the most common complications of shingles is chronic pain in the area of skin where the rash occurred. This is called postherpetic neuralgia, and it occurs in 40% of people who are aged older than 60 when they get shingles. It is more common in older patients and in people who had severe symptoms with the initial rash.
Who's At Risk
