Symptoms of shingles

A clear diagnosis may be challenging at disease onset.

Shingles (in medical terms herpes zoster) is a usually painful nerve inflammation that may be accompanied by serious and long-lasting complications.

Typical symptoms are usually preceded by non-specific symptoms such as fatigue, limb pain, general malaise and sometimes also mild fever.

It takes two to three days for the burning pain to appear, often accompanied by itching or a tingling sensation on the skin.

Please contact your doctor if you suspect to have shingles.

When the skin is burning

Redness or swelling of the skin may be observed in the area where the blisters later appear. Many patients describe this area of the body as extremely sensitive to touch.

Shingles is mainly characterised by a burning pain, followed by a one-sided band-like spreading of blisters, in the skin area of the affected nerve.

Facial erysipelas

The symptoms mainly occur in the chest and lumbar area. However, they can also occur in other parts of the body – such as the head, neck and face.

Grafik symbolisiert Schmerzen bei Gürtelrose Erkrankungen

Occurrence of symptoms

Grafik zeigt Entzündung des Nervensystems durch das Gürtelrose Virus

It is caused by alterations in the nervous system due to acute neuronal injuries such as inflammation of the pain receptors. Furthermore, sensory neurons located in infected nerve nodes may be destroyed or nerve ganglia may be abnormally stimulated.

Painful and often lengthy

Shingles can be a very painful condition for many patients. The pain is often described as burning, piercing, sharp or stinging and can last for weeks. More than 70% of patients report clinically significant pain.

Severe acute pain

Patients rate the pain as more severe than labour pain or post surgery pain.

Accordingly, it has a negative impact on sleep, enjoyment of life, mood, work ability and social relationships.

(Pain scale according to McGill Pain Questionnaire)