Tuesday, March 26, 2024

Can You Get Shingles On The Palm Of Your Hand

What Are The Symptoms Of Shingles

Shingles on the Hand Even After Shingles Shot | Auburn Medical Group

Shingles presents as a skin rash characterised by pain and blistering. It can affect any part of the body, but usually appears on one side of the face or body.

Symptoms include:

  • a burning, tingling or itching sensation
  • a stabbing sensation
  • numbness in the affected area of the body
  • sensitivity to light
  • fever and/or headache

See your doctor as soon as possible if you are experiencing any shingles symptoms, as the sooner you start treatment, the more effective it is.

Does It Run In Families

You cant pass reactive arthritis on to your children. However, they can inherit the HLA-B27 gene, which could slightly increase their chance of getting the condition. This doesnt mean that by having this gene theyll definitely get reactive arthritis. However, the condition tends to be more common in people with HLA-B27.

Around 1 in every 10 people in the UK carry this gene.

The first signs of reactive arthritis are often:

  • painful and swollen joints, usually in the ankles or knees
  • sausage-like swelling of fingers or toes
  • puffy, sore, red eyes, often with a mucus discharge known as conjunctivitis
  • extreme, unexplained tiredness, known as fatigue

You may notice that your knees, ankles or toes suddenly become swollen, stiff and painful to move. Or the swelling may appear gradually over a few days.

Reactive arthritis can also affect other joints, such as your fingers, wrists, elbows and the joints at the base of your spine, known as the sacroiliac joints . It can also cause inflammation in the tendons around your joints, such as the Achilles tendon which runs down the back of your ankle.

You may find your whole finger or toe swells up if both the tendons and joints become affected at the same time. This is often called sausage digit or dactylitis .

Most Common Treatments For Shingles

No treatment can cure Shingles. Current options for treatment include:

Antiviral medications Antiviral medication options include acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir. These medications can decrease the severity of Shingles and possibly shorten the time you have symptoms of the illness.

Pain medicineOver-the-counter pain management options like acetaminophen or ibuprofen can help control pain, or your doctor may prescribe other medications like gabapentin, lidocaine, or codeine for more severe pain.

Common household remediesCalamine lotion, oatmeal baths, and cold compresses are options to decrease itchiness.

Vaccines Vaccines will not treat active Shingles, but Shingrix is a vaccine that can prevent Shingles and is recommended for adults over the age of 50.

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How To Prevent Shingles: Get Vaccinated

Two vaccines may help prevent the shingles virus: the chickenpox vaccine and the shingles vaccine. The shingles vaccine is approved for adults ages 50 and older and for those 18 and older with weakened immune systems or at increased risk of herpes zoster because of a disease or treatment, according to the CDC.

Per the CDC, talk to your doctor about getting a shingles vaccination if you are 50 or older or if you have the following risk factors:

  • You have cancer, especially leukemia or lymphoma.
  • You are a bone marrow or solid organ transplant recipient.
  • You take immunosuppressive medications, including steroids, chemotherapy, or transplant-related medications.

How Is Herpetic Whitlow Treated

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Herpetic whitlow doesnt require treatment.

The condition usually heals within a few weeks without medication, but a prescription antiviral drug can shorten the duration of an outbreak.

Antivirals are only effective when taken within 24 hours of developing symptoms.

Antivirals also help lower the risk of transmitting the virus to other people. If a blister ruptures and an infection develops, your doctor can prescribe an antibiotic.

You can treat herpetic whitlow at home by:

  • taking a pain reliever such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen to help reduce pain and fever
  • applying a cold compress several times a day to help reduce swelling
  • cleaning the affected area daily and covering it with gauze

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Signs And Symptoms Of Shingles

Shingles may cause mild to severe pain, and the viral rash most commonly appears on the trunk, notes the CDC. Unlike chickenpox, the shingles rash usually occurs on one side of the body or face.

The first symptom of shingles is usually pain, itching, or tingling in the area where the shingles rash will later appear. This may happen several days before the rash erupts, leading to fluid-filled blisters like those of chicken pox. The blisters typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and clear up within two to four weeks, according to the CDC.

Other signs and symptoms of shingles may include:

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Tingling Pain Or Numbness

During the first stage of shingles, before anything appears on your skin, a particular area of your body may begin to feel different. When a shingles outbreak is starting, you may feel itching, burning, or pain, Kim says. Often you will feel this on only one side of your body.

The initial signs of shingles may feel different for each person. In some cases, shingles can cause intense sensitivity, making it painful to even wear clothes over your skin, while in other cases, your skin may feel numb.

Read Also: How Long Do Shingles Last On Your Body

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What Shingles Treatments Are Available

Treatment for shingles may include antiviral medications, such as acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir, which reduce the shingles rashs duration, decreasing the rashs severity, and lowers the risk of developing long-lasting nerve pain and other subsequent health problems. To treat pain-related symptoms from shingles, our dermatologist may also recommend that you take over-the-counter medications, including acetaminophen or ibuprofen. If you have severe pain, a corticosteroid, or another medication type that reduces inflammation, may be prescribed. To prevent shingles before it occurs, be sure to get the shingles vaccine.

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Tips To Reduce Your Risk Of Infection

  • Try to avoid close contact with people you know have an infection.
  • Wash your hands regularly and carry around a small bottle of antibacterial hand gel.
  • Keep your mouth clean by brushing your teeth regularly.
  • Stop smoking if youre a smoker.
  • Make sure your food is stored and prepared properly.
  • Try to keep your house clean and hygienic, especially the kitchen, bathrooms and toilets.

If you are prescribed a drug you may find more information about it here.

Prevention Of Hand Foot And Mouth Disease With Chickenpox Shingles And Herpes Simplex

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Preventing The Spread Of Chickenpox

Chickenpox is caused by the varicella-zoster virus. You catch it by coming into contact with someone who is infected.

The Public Health Agency recommends if your child has chickenpox you should inform their school or nursery and keep them at home while they are infectious. This is until the last blister has crusted over.

This usually takes five or six days after the rash begins.

If you have chickenpox, stay off work and at home until youâre no longer infectious.

If either you or your child has chickenpox, it is also a good idea for you, or them, to avoid contact with:

  • anyone who has a weak immune system, such as people who are having chemotherapy or taking steroid tablets

If someone in your household has chickenpox, you can help stop the virus spreading by wiping any objects or surfaces with a sterilising solution and making sure that any infected clothing or bedding is washed regularly.

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Is Herpes Zoster Common

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Herpes zoster is more common in people with a depressed immune system and those over the age of 50. Its quite rare in children and the symptoms are mild compared to what an adult may experience. Children most at risk for herpes zoster are those who had chicken pox during the first year of life or whose mothers had chicken pox very late during pregnancy.

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What Are The Symptoms Of Chickenpox Vs Hand Foot And Mouth Disease

Chickenpox Symptoms

Rash

Healthy children generally experience one to two days of fever, sore throat, and malaise approximately 2 weeks following exposure to VZV. Within 24 hours of these symptoms, a characteristic rash develops initially on the torso and then spreads over the next 7 to 10 days outward to the head, arms, and legs. Skin lesions progress through a predictable evolution from a red papule to blister to a pustule , which then scabs over. The vesicle and pustular fluids are highly concentrated with infectious virus particles.

New lesions characteristically come in recurring âwavesâ over the skin surface. The patient may thus have newly formed papules, middle-aged vesicles and pustules, and crusted lesions all at the same time. At the peak of the disease, a patient may have over 300 skin lesions at one time. Once all lesions are scabbed over and no new lesions are developing, the person is no longer contagious. The lesions rarely cause permanent scarring, unless secondary infection develops . Lesions may commonly be found in the mouth and may also involve the genitalia.

Complications

In healthy children, chickenpox is a mild disease. Adults are 25% more likely to have significant complications from the diseases. Common complications affecting both children and adults include the following:

Chickenpox and Pregnancy

Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease Symptoms

  • general malaise

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Hand Foot And Mouth Disease

  • ulcers in the mouth
  • loss of appetite

People sometimes confuse HFMD with foot and mouth disease. However, these are separate conditions. Foot and mouth disease can only affect livestock and does not affect humans.

Usually, HFMD is not serious and resolves without treatment in 7â10 days. In the meantime, OTC pain medication can help relieve symptoms.

However, HFMD is contagious and spreads easily. People can help prevent spreading the virus by practicing hand hygiene and avoiding close contact with others.

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Who Is At Risk Of Shingles On The Scalp

If youve had chickenpox at any point in your life, theres always a chance that youll develop shingles.

The only people who wont develop shingles are those who have never had chickenpox. However, you can still catch chickenpox even when youre an adult. And if you do, it means youll be susceptible to shingles later on.

So, lets look at who is more likely to develop shingles. First of all, shingles isnt hereditary. What this means is youre no more likely to get it if your family members have had it. Its purely down to who you are, and the lifestyle that you lead.

One of the main factors is age. When older, youre more likely to suffer from a shingles attack. In particular, the elderly are the most susceptible age group. Its thought that this has something to do with the immune system. As we age, our immune systems naturally become weaker. A weakened immune system means that the shingles virus finds it easier to become active.

For the same reason, people who are under a lot of stress are more at risk of developing shingles. Stress can put pressure on the immune system, making you more susceptible to all sorts of illnesses. Similarly, youre more likely to get shingles if you already have an illness which affects the immune system.

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What Does Covid Rash On Hands Look Like

How to treat shingles

It appears as red and bumpy areas which may occur anywhere on the body, but favours the elbows and knees as well as the back of the hands and feet. It can resemble bad prickly heat. In some cases, it is only tiny bumps all over the skin and the signs may be more subtle. This is also usually very itchy.

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What Are The Clinical Features Of Herpes Zoster

Herpes zoster is characterised by dermatomaldistribution, that is the blisters are confined to the cutaneous distribution of one or two adjacent sensory nerves. This is usually unilateral, with a sharp cut-off at the anterior and posterior midlines.

The clinical presentation of herpes zoster depends on the age and health of the patient and which dermatome is affected.

The first sign of herpes zoster is usually localised pain without tenderness or any visible skin change. It may be severe, relating to one or more sensory nerves. The pain may be just in one spot, or it may spread out. The patient may feel quite unwell with fever and headache. The lymph nodes draining the affected area are often enlarged and tender.

Within one to three days of the onset of pain, a blistering rash appears in the painful area of skin. It starts as a crop of red papules. New lesions continue to erupt for several days within the distribution of the affected nerve, each blistering or becoming pustular then crusting over.

The chest , neck , forehead and lumbar/sacral sensory nerve supply regions are most commonly affected at all ages. The frequency of ophthalmic herpes zoster increases with age. Herpes zoster occasionally causes blisters inside the mouth or ears, and can also affect the genital area. Sometimes there is pain without rashherpes zoster sine eruptioneor rash without pain, most often in children.

Herpes zoster

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Could It Really Be Monkeypox

The first thing to ask yourself is – do you think you could have been exposed? It takes close, prolonged contact – often skin-to-skin – with an infected person. There are very few people in the world who currently have it, meaning there are not that many opportunities to catch it.

Even in remote parts of some African countries where it can sometimes circulate, children rarely contract it.

If you were to get sick with monkeypox, the first thing you would notice is flu-like symptoms – feeling tired, generally unwell and feverish. It’s what doctors call the “invasion period” of the disease, when the virus enters your cells.

Your glands would feel swollen because your immune system is ramping up to fight the infection.

Next comes the rash, which goes through different “skin eruption” phases. It starts off flat and red, but then gets bumpy and blistered, before forming scabs.

Dr Rosamund Lewis from the World Health Organization’s Emergencies Programme explains: “It starts with what we call macules. These are just red areas. Then it progresses to papules. This is something you can feel. It’s raised.”

Those red lumps and bumps then start to blister, and fill with a whitish fluid that looks like pus.

These pustules then begin to dry out and scab over. Eventually, the scabs will heal and drop off.

“This is why it can be confused with chickenpox,” says Dr Lewis.

The rash – which may look slightly different on different skin tones – can contaminate bedsheets and clothes.

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Incubation Period And Prodrome

The average incubation period for varicella is 14 to 16 days after exposure to a varicella or a herpes zoster rash, with a range of 10 to 21 days. A mild prodrome of fever and malaise may occur 1 to 2 days before rash onset, particularly in adults. In children, the rash is often the first sign of disease.

The Shingles Rash Usually Occurs On One Side Of The Body Or Face Most Commonly On The Trunk

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Its easy to mistake a shingles rash for another health condition that affects the skin. The shingles virus typically causes a painful rash and blisters, which can resemble many other skin conditions psoriasis, eczema, and hives among them. However, there are a few signs that your rash is more likely to be shingles than something else.

To get shingles, you must have had chickenpox. Shingles, or herpes zoster, occurs when the chickenpox virus reactivates after lying dormant in the body. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that 1 out of 3 people in the United States will get shingles in their lifetime. While your risk of getting shingles increases as you age, anyone can get it if they had chickenpox, notes the CDC.

About half of all shingles cases occur in adults age 60 or older, and the risk of getting shingles becomes much greater by age 70, according to the National Institute on Aging.

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If Ive Been Vaccinated For Chickenpox Can I Still Develop Shingles Later In Life

Unfortunately, yes, despite being vaccinated for chickenpox, you can still get shingles. No vaccine is 100% protective and the effects of vaccines lessen with time. However, people who get the chickenpox vaccine are significantly less likely to develop shingles later in life compared with people who never received the chickenpox vaccine. One recent 12-year study found that the number of shingles cases was 72% lower in children who had received the chickenpox vaccine compared with those who did not.

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