Can you have shingles without the rash or blisters?

It is possible for a person to develop shingles without being affected by the rash, although this is rare. When shingles occurs without the rash being present, this is called zoster sine herpete (ZSH).

Can you have shingles and not get blisters?

While shingles usually produces a rash and subsequent blister-like lesions, some people who develop shingles may not have a rash. The absence of a rash makes diagnosis difficult. It also means if you are infected, you may go around spreading the virus without even knowing it.

What are the symptoms of internal shingles?

Can you have internal shingles without rash?

Shingles is a viral nerve infection that causes a painful rash and blistering on the skin. In some cases, the infection can spread to internal organs and can sometimes appear without a rash. Doctors refer to this as internal shingles.

Do you feel ill with shingles?

Most cases of shingles cause severe pain and itching, and can leave scars. Fluid-filled blisters develop, break, and crust over during and a few weeks after an outbreak. You also may feel sick or fatigued, with a slight fever or headache.

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Can you have mild shingles?

For some people, the symptoms of shingles are mild. They might just have some itching. For others, shingles can cause intense pain that can be felt from the gentlest touch or breeze. It's important to talk with your doctor if you notice any shingles symptoms.

What is zoster sine Herpete?

Zoster sine herpete (ZSH) is one of the atypical clinical manifestations of herpes zoster (HZ), which stems from infection and reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) in the cranial nerve, spinal nerve, viscera, or autonomic nerve.

Where do you get pain with shingles?

The first sign of shingles, which is also called herpes zoster, is pain that might feel like burning or tingling on one side of your face, chest, back, or waist. It can be intense. You might also feel like you're coming down with the flu, with symptoms such as: Fever.

Which painkiller is best for shingles?

Doctors have a variety of choices to treat shingles pain. Medications like ibuprofen or acetaminophen are often used. More severe cases might call for use of Tylenol with codeine or oxycodone.

How painful is shingles on a scale of 1 to 10?

“Shingles is extremely painful," Wigand-Bolling said. “On a scale from one to 10, most patients will say the pain ranges from six to 10.” Between 1 and 5 days after the first symptoms occur, a rash will develop in the affected area.

Does shingles feel like a pulled muscle?

Patients often feel like they have pulled a muscle, slept in an unnatural position the night before, or are developing a cold in the back. This feeling lasts for 2-7 days, and the skin becomes quite sensitive to touch during this period.

How do you test for zoster sine Herpete?

Polymerase chain reaction (PCR) is the most useful test for confirming cases of suspected zoster sine herpete (herpes zoster-type pain that occurs without a rash). PCR can be used to detect VZV DNA rapidly and sensitively, and is now widely available.

How do you treat zoster sine Herpete?

If zoster sine herpete is confirmed virologically, patients should be treated with IV acyclovir, 10–15 mg/kg for 10–14 days.

Can mild shingles go untreated?

If left untreated, this infection can lead to permanent eye damage. You're 60 or older, because age significantly increases your risk of complications. You or someone in your family has a weakened immune system (due to cancer, medications or chronic illness). The rash is widespread and painful.

What do mild shingles look like?

The blisters may look like chickenpox, but they are clustered together. The shingles rash can vary in color, depending on your skin tone. On darker skin, the rash may be pink, grayish, dark brown, or even purple. On lighter skin, it will be red.

Are shingles always unilateral?

Attacks often recur with vesicle groups spread bilaterally, whereas shingles is usually unilateral, affecting one or adjacent dermatomes. It rarely recurs unless the patient is immunocompromised.

Does shingles show up in blood work?

Doctors use two types of tests to diagnose chickenpox or shingles: Antibody: When you're exposed to varicella zoster, your immune system makes proteins to fight it. Your doctor can look for these proteins, called antibodies, in a sample of your blood. They take the sample from a vein in your arm.

Is there a test to confirm shingles?

Health care providers can usually diagnose chickenpox or shingles with a visual examination. Tests are sometimes ordered to check for immunity to the varicella zoster virus (VZV). You have immunity if you've had chickenpox before or have had the chickenpox vaccine.

What are the symptoms of shingles without a rash?

How long do you feel unwell with shingles?

An episode of shingles typically lasts around two to four weeks. The main symptoms are pain, followed by a rash. Any part of your body can be affected, including your face and eyes, although the chest and abdomen (tummy) are the most common areas where shingles develops.

Does shingles hurt more night?

It can be constant or intermittent and may get worse at night or in reaction to heat or cold. The pain can result in fatigue, sleep disturbance, anorexia, depression and, in general, a lowering of quality of life.

What are the three stages of shingles?

Shingles' clinical manifestations are divided into 3 distinct phases: preeruptive, acute eruptive, and chronic. The preeruptive phase (or preherpetic neuralgia stage) usually lasts about 48 hours but can stretch to 10 days in some cases.

Does sleep help shingles?

In addition to seeking medical treatment, people can take other steps to alleviate their symptoms and reduce discomfort. These include: getting enough sleep and rest. using a wet compress on the itchy and inflamed skin and blisters.

What does shingle pain feel like?

The most telling first symptom of shingles typically is the pain. Often excruciating, the discomfort has been described as burning, stinging, tingly, prickly, itchy, numbing, achy, or shooting. 2 It can be persistent or intermittent, but will always be limited to one side of the body.

How do you rule out shingles?

Shingles is usually diagnosed based on the history of pain on one side of your body, along with the telltale rash and blisters. Your doctor may also take a tissue scraping or culture of the blisters for examination in the laboratory.