Shingles on different parts of the body
If the viruses reactivate, they can attack the adjacent nerves and cause the typical symptoms of shingles. In the head area, the opthalmic nerve and the facial nerve are particularly affected, each of which is associated with different symptoms. Common to these different manifestations is the typical redness and blistering in the affected skin area.
Due to the numerous sensitive structures, shingles on the face is relatively often accompanied by complications, with almost all structures being affected by inflammation. If the opthalmic nerve, the uppermost branch of the trigeminal nerve, is affected, symptoms mainly occur in the area of the eye; photophobia, lacrimation, redness and swelling can occur. If the inflammation spreads to the cornea, it can scar it, which in the worst case can lead to blindness and should therefore be treated adequately and quickly.
Conjunctivitis often occurs. In rare cases, the auditory nerve, the cochlear nerve, or the vestibular nerve may also be affected. Here too, inflammation leads to corresponding loss of sensory perception, i.e. to hearing or balance problems.
This is known as zoster oticus. If shingles affects the facial nerve, which runs through the ear, the symptoms focus primarily on the temporary, usually unilateral paralysis of the facial muscles and the loss of sense of taste. In general, shingles on the face is associated with an increased risk of post-zosteric neuralgia after the healing of shingles.
These are pains that are caused by the irritated nerve itself and are often not easy to treat. As in other parts of the body, shingles can also cause scarring on the face. It is important that this risk can be reduced by starting therapy early.
Shingles in the eye is very uncomfortable for those affected and in severe cases can lead to disturbances in vision in the affected eye. The inflammation can affect all structures of the eye. In most cases, an inflammation of the conjunctiva (conjunctivitis) occurs.
In severe cases, the inflammation can also affect the retina, resulting in a partial or complete functional disorder. Only in a few cases, however, are these perceptual disorders permanent. Furthermore, the inflammation and the associated accumulation of fluid can lead to an increase in intraocular pressure, which should be checked by an ophthalmologist.
A long-term complication of shingles in the eye is that the risk of so-called post-zoster neuralgia is higher than in other localizations.Post-zoster neuralgia describes a nerve pain that persists even after the disease, which originates from the affected nerve and can be extremely unpleasant for the patient. It also often leads to the sensation of severe headaches. For these reasons it is advisable to treat shingles in the area of the head with virus-inhibiting drugs (antivirals).
This also prevents the development of post-zoster neuralgia. A shingles on the ear is called Zoster oticus. Shingles in the ear occurs rather rarely compared to other localizations.
In addition to the well-known and typical symptoms of shingles such as: it can lead to severe functional impairment in the facial area. Hearing, sense of balance, sense of taste and movement of the mimic muscles can be affected by these functional deficits. This broad spectrum of failures is due to the fact that the nerves responsible for these functions run very close together, so that an inflammation of one nerve can spread to the others very quickly.
In order to avoid permanent damage, patients with shingles should consult a doctor as soon as possible so that a drug therapy can be started. This is recommended, as with all shingles types on the head, also to prevent late effects.
- Blistering of the ear and the external auditory canal,
- Fever
- And severe itching
A shingles on the neck is usually similar to the rest of the body.
However, the proximity to the face is problematic. For example, the mouth mucosa can easily be affected. This manifests itself with numerous painful and easily bursting blisters.
It is often almost impossible to eat due to the pain. Because of the nerve processes, shingles on the neck can also lead to paralysis of the facial muscles. Normally, the paralysis completely disappears over time, but in some cases, the affected person may also suffer consequential damage, including speech disorders.
A complication, which is not uncommon even in the case of shingles on the neck, is post-zoster neuralgia (nerve pain). These are manifested by brief attacks of pain or penetrating pain when the affected area is touched. Affected are mainly older people over 60 years of age, whereby the pain sometimes occurs only after the disease has passed.
For this reason, if pain occurs in the face and/or neck after shingles, it is essential to report to the treating physician that one has previously had shingles. This is the only way for the doctor to know the cause of the pain and how to treat it correctly. Shingles on the leg is the third most common localization after shingles and occurs when nerves supplying the leg are affected by the varicella zoster virus.
The nerve root of the lumbar nerve L3 is particularly frequently affected. In most people, the associated dermatome, i.e. the area of skin it supplies, extends over the thigh to the inside of the knee. If both legs are affected in rare cases, this is known as zoster duplex.
The symptoms correspond to a typical shingles and can be identified as such by the doctor through a gaze diagnosis. The therapy is carried out by administering antivirals, painkillers and antibiotics. Complications can occur if a bacterial infection also occurs or the affected skin dies off (necrosis).
Long-term consequences can be persistent nerve pain (zoster neuralgia), hypersensitivity in the affected skin areas or scarring. The occurrence of shingles on the back is relatively common compared to other areas of the body. Thus, in 60% of cases of shingles, areas of the back are affected.
As a rule, however, it only spreads on one side of the back, and only very rarely does it cover the entire body in a belt-like fashion. In addition, in most cases the skin areas above the lumbar vertebrae are affected, from which the inflammation and blistering spread forward. For those affected, shingles on the back is very unpleasant, especially at night, because lying on the back is associated with pain.
In addition, the blisters can burst and wound fluid can leak out. For these reasons, most patients with shingles on their back sleep on their stomach. On the back, more often than in other places, the ever-present itching is perceived by those affected as a severe pain.
In almost all cases, shingles spreads in the area of the abdomen and chest with the typical pattern.Its pattern of spread is mostly one-sided and belt-shaped, only in rare cases the disease affects both halves of the body. The affected skin area shows sensitivity disorders, blisters, a redness with swelling and a strong nerve pain. If the shingles occurs in the region of the navel, it can be very annoying for those affected, as the blisters are compressed when sitting down and can burst. This also makes it more difficult for the blisters to dry out, as the affected skin area cannot be kept dry all the time.
