Skin Rash and Symptom Differences

Shingles and eczema are both skin conditions that can cause areas of inflamed skin. The areas of inflamed skin can vary in size and be itchy or painful. Because of some of the similarities, it can be easy to mistake one condition for the other.

Shingles and eczema aren’t the same. They have different underlying causes, which require different treatments. Since both conditions can cause complications without proper treatment, it’s important to differentiate between the two.

Read on to learn more about the differences between shingles and eczema.

Shingles, or herpes zoster, is a disease caused by the latent varicella-zoster virus (VCV).

The VCV is the same virus that causes chickenpox, or varicella, in children. It stays inactive in the body after a chickenpox infection.

Anyone can get shingles. However, it’s more likely to appear if you’re feeling stressed, are dealing with an illness, or your immune system is weakened. If your immune system becomes weakened or compromised, the virus can reactivate and trigger shingles.

What causes shingles?

Several factors can weaken the immune system and causes shingles. This includes:

• age
• emotional and mental stress
• extreme cold weather
• too much sun
• having a cold
• using medications, such as immunosuppressants
• cancer
• chemotherapy
• HIV

Shingles can affect people of any age, but it’s more common in adults ages 50 and older.

Symptoms of shingles

With shingles, symptoms typically begin with a tingly, itchy rash that’s limited to one side of the body. The rash starts out as a pink itchy patch with small blisters that form on top of the rash. Once the blisters open up it can be painful.

The rash can occur anywhere on the body, but it most often appears on one side of your head, trunk, or face, which might involve the eyes or mouth.

Along with an itchy, tingly rash, other early symptoms of shingles include:

• fever
• chills
• headache
• upset stomach

If shingles affects your eye, it can make it difficult to see out of the affected eye. If shingles develops on the side of your face or neck, it can cause dizziness or ringing in the ear on the affected side.

The blisters that form on the rash typically start to scab in 7 to 10 days, eventually clearing up in 2 to 4 weeks.

However, the pain can last for months or years, even after the blisters have cleared up. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia, and about 10 to 18 percent of people who get shingles go on to develop this condition.

How to prevent shingles

The best way to prevent shingles is to get the shingles vaccine, or the recombinant zoster vaccine. It’s known by the brand name Shingrix.

The shingles vaccine is given in two doses, about 2 to 6 months apart. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the vaccine for healthy adults ages 50 and older.

The vaccine is more than 90 percent effective against shingles. People who have had the vaccine may still get shingles, but the condition is less severe and they are less likely to develop postherpetic neuralgia.

Here’s what shingles looks like on different parts of the body:

Eczema is a term that’s used to describe several types of skin conditions that cause inflamed, itchy, irritated skin. Atopic dermatitis is the most common form of eczema.

Eczema is chronic, meaning it can last a long time. It can cause repeated inflamed itchy skin, which can lead to skin infections if not properly managed.

The condition often affects children, but it can develop in adults too.

What causes eczema?

There isn’t one clear cause of eczema. It appears to be related to genetics and environmental factors. This may include a genetic mutation that affects your body’s production of filaggrin — a protein that keeps your skin strong and moisturized.

With eczema, the gene responsible for making filaggrin doesn’t produce enough of it, and as a result causes dry and irritated skin.

Eczema might also be caused by an overreactive immune system. When the body interacts with an external substance — such as certain chemicals, pollen, or mold, for instance — the immune system overreacts and causes inflammation.

Symptoms of eczema

Eczema causes an irritating rash. This may include:

• extremely dry skin
• severe itching
• fluid-filled bumps
• red or brown patches
• thickening or peeling skin (caused by scratching)
• swelling

How to prevent eczema

Since eczema may have a genetic component, it’s not possible to completely prevent it.

But there are some steps you can take to limit or prevent eczema flare-ups. This includes avoiding common eczema triggers, such as:

• irritating chemicals
• fragrances or dyes
• rough, scratchy materials
• pollen
• mold
• dust mites
• animal dander
• extreme temperatures
• emotional stress
• certain foods
• dry skin

Here’s what an eczema rash might look like:

There are some key differences between shingles and eczema symptoms. Let’s look at what they are.

• Pre-rash symptoms. With shingles, you might feel tingling or burning several days before the rash appears. With eczema, although it’s possible to have itchy skin without a rash, you won’t have the tingling nerve pain that’s common with shingles.
• Rash coverage. A rash caused by shingles usually appears on one side of the body. In contrast, rashes caused by eczema affect both sides.
• Skin irritation. A shingles rash can cause pain, burning, numbness, or tingling of the skin and be sensitive to the touch. Shingles can start with an itch, and then become tender and then painful. An eczema rash is very itchy, with dry, scaly patches. It’s not usually painful unless the skin is extremely dry and cracked.
• Fatigue. If you have shingles, you’ll likely feel very tired. Although eczema can disrupt your sleep and cause fatigue, it won’t cause the same type of fatigue that’s common with shingles.
• Thickened skin. With eczema, constant rubbing and scratching can thicken the skin. This typically doesn’t happen with shingles.
• Duration of pain. Shingles typically clears up within a few weeks. A small percentage of people develop chronic nerve pain. Eczema isn’t usually painful unless the skin is cracked. Once it’s treated, though, the pain resolves.
• Frequency of rashes. Shingles usually involves a single episode, but it’s possible to get shingles more than once. Eczema can cause flare-ups that come and go, especially without treatment.

To diagnose shingles, a doctor or other healthcare professional will use the following tools:

• Physical examination. A doctor will look at your rash and blisters. This is often enough to make a diagnosis.
• Medical history. Knowing your medical history allows a doctor to better understand your risk of developing shingles.
• Lab tests. If necessary, your doctor will take a sample of your skin or fluid from your blisters. They’ll send the sample to a lab, where it will be checked for the virus.

There’s no cure for shingles. However, early treatment can help resolve the rash faster and lower the risk of long-term complications, especially if the eye or inner ear is involved.

Shingles treatment includes:

• Antiviral medication. Antiviral drugs can reduce the severity and length of a shingles episode. Your doctor might prescribe acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famciclovir.
• Pain medication. Over-the-counter pain relievers can help ease your symptoms. If your pain is severe, your doctor might suggest opioids, topical lidocaine, or gabapentin, a medication that helps with nerve pain.
• Topical steroid. A topical steroid can help decrease inflammation and reduce pain and itching.
• Topical capsaicin. If the pain continues after the rash has cleared, applying capsaicin cream may help.

See a doctor if you develop eczema symptoms for the first time. Your doctor can examine your skin and confirm if eczema is causing your symptoms.

If your doctor thinks you have eczema, they’ll explain how to manage your symptoms. This might include consulting a dermatologist.

Similarly, if you’ve already been diagnosed with eczema, be sure to continue following your medical professional’s recommendations.

Like shingles, eczema has no cure, but treatment and self-care can help decrease flare-ups and protect your skin. This may include:

• Daily moisturizing. This is a main component of eczema treatment. It’s best to use an ointment without fragrances or preservatives.
• Corticosteroids. If your eczema is mild, you can apply a hydrocortisone ointment to reduce inflammation. If you have severe eczema, your doctor might recommend prescription topical or oral corticosteroids.
• Antihistamine medications. Antihistamines, which are available over the counter, may ease eczema caused by allergies.
• Avoid scented products. Try to avoid any products that have a fragrance added to them. Instead, use unscented detergent, soap, shampoos, and other unscented personal care products.
• Avoiding triggers. One way to limit or prevent eczema is to identify the triggers that cause flare-ups. Triggers may include anything from certain soaps, detergents, or perfumes, to fabrics, specific foods, or high levels of stress. If you can pinpoint your triggers, you can take steps to avoid these triggers in the future.

Although shingles and eczema both cause skin rashes, they’re very different conditions. Shingles is an infection caused by the reactivation of the VCV. It typically involves a painful, blistering rash that appears on one side of the body.

On the other hand, eczema is an inflammatory skin condition. It’s likely caused by an overreaction of the immune system to external substances, like chemicals, fragrances, or dry weather. The rash, which can appear on both sides of the body, is usually itchy, and may involve peeling and blistering.

There’s no cure for either condition, but early treatment can reduce the risk of complications. If you develop an irritating skin rash that doesn’t go away, be sure to contact a healthcare professional.

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Herpes zoster in seriously ill people – Pro Palliative

Contents

Signs and symptoms of herpes zoster (herpes)

The worst thing is pain!

How can you help?

Herpes zoster (shingles) is a viral disease caused by the same virus as chicken pox. It’s called Varicella zoster. If you had “chickenpox” (even in childhood), or if you had cases of painful “cold” on the lips (it is sometimes mistakenly called “fever”), then the virus lives in your body. Herpes-like viruses accompany a person all his life.

The virus is transmitted through contact with rashes on a sick person or through airborne droplets. But in people who have had chickenpox before, the virus remains in the nervous tissue and can stay there for a long time, without showing itself in any way, until the body weakens or the person catches a cold. Then the virus is activated and manifests itself as painful rashes on the skin of the trunk, face, and also along the nerve.

Signs and symptoms of herpes zoster

The first symptom is a burning pain in the skin along the line of the affected nerve. The affected areas are sensitive to touch. It may take one to three days before the rash appears.

The rash usually occurs on one side of the body on the face or trunk. Then a group of blisters form. The blisters usually last two to three weeks, during which time they accumulate fluid, then crust and begin to disappear.

Pavel Petrovich is 85 years old. A few months ago, he became seriously ill – and the situation got worse, then it got a little better. On good days, he could sit up in bed on his own and watch TV. But suddenly Pavel Petrovich felt that his temperature was rising. The whole body ached. My wife and daughter were worried that it was covid. But he was alerted by pains in his side, then numerous pink vesicles appeared on the skin. They called the doctor to the house, and he explained that it was herpes zoster

What to do about pain? Doctors can prescribe the right pain management regimen, but without the help of caregivers, their efforts will be ineffective. Therefore, we want to tell you about the types of pain and methods of dealing with it.

The most unpleasant thing is pain!

Pain is one of the most excruciating symptoms and, unfortunately, common, experienced by seriously ill people. That is why anesthesia is such an important point in the treatment of palliative patients. With herpes zoster, the pain has a very bright color. It can be burning and pass along the course of the nerve. It is especially difficult when rashes appear in sensitive places – in the groin, around the eye or ear. The pain may not go away for more than 30 days and the person, even with adequate pain relief, often becomes irritable and can react violently to any word. Therefore, those who care for him will have to be patient and use all their tact to remain calm.

Doctors prescribe non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs to treat pain, but if the person is taking other stronger pain medications, the doctor may reconsider the dosage or change prescriptions.

Important

If you suspect shingles, do not self-medicate. See a doctor right away!

How can you help?

Ask the client if they feel pain or discomfort. Pass the information on to the doctor.

The person may describe the pain as a tingling sensation, burning pain, or extreme tenderness in an area of ​​the skin. These sensations usually precede the development of skin lesions by several days.

But even after the rashes disappear, many people still have chronic pain syndrome in the form of attacks of pain or constant discomfort of varying severity.

Important

Severely ill people often complain that they “ache all over the skin” or that it hurts to touch any area of ​​the skin, without visible damage to it. This may be a symptom of herpes zoster.

Assess for non-verbal signs of pain or discomfort

Everyone has their own pain threshold and expresses pain or discomfort differently. For people who cannot speak, suffer from dementia, or have had a stroke, it is not always possible to understand that they are in pain. Be very attentive to the behavior, excitement, facial expression of the ward.

Make sure that the ward takes medication according to the schedule prescribed by the doctor

Pain medications taken on schedule provide proper pain relief. But it won’t work if the patient thinks it will be enough to just take a pill when it hurts a lot. Pain is not only a physical sensation, but also an emotional experience. The feeling of pain, arising at the site of tissue damage or a tumor process, sends a signal to the brain. It is in the brain that the feeling of pain is born. The longer we endure pain, the more the area responsible for this feeling is excited in the brain. And the more difficult it is to pay off drugs. It is the observance of the schedule of taking the drugs that gives the analgesic effect.

Wear loose-fitting cotton clothing

Non-breathable clothing that is tight or chafing on the body can increase skin irritation and rash inflammation. Cotton clothing promotes moisture evaporation.

Intimate hygiene for a seriously ill person How to wash the genitals properly, how to prevent infections, choose care products and avoid embarrassment and embarrassment

Avoid extreme air and water temperatures

Hygiene for a seriously ill person is usually done by wiping, either in bed or sitting in the bathroom. However, in the acute phase of herpes zoster, taking a bath is contraindicated: it is better not to wet the rash. If a rash occurs in the intimate area and you need to wash the ward, do not rub in the rash area, use only warm water, use gels for washing the intimate area gels with Ph 4-5. Intimate hygiene products do not contain soap and have a slightly acidic environment. In ordinary soap, the environment is alkaline and pH 7 and above. These products can cause irritation and itching. Very carefully, with soaking movements, dry the area of ​​\u200b\u200brashes and the intimate area.

Such patients should not be chilled too much. Overheating is not good for them either. The temperature in the room should be comfortable so that a person does not sweat or freeze. Do not put on a lot of clothes or cover him with an overly warm blanket. Sweat increases itching and pain.

When washing your child, make sure that he does not freeze. Cover all parts of his body except the one you are washing.

Wipe the body with warm water and a small amount of washing gel, and then with water, avoiding the area of ​​the rash – the best solution!

Avoid rubbing or scratching the skin or rashes

Scratching the skin only makes itching worse. For severe itching, apply a cold dry compress or a bottle of water from the refrigerator wrapped in a towel for 2-3 minutes. Scratching can increase the risk of infection.

It is better not to walk

In the acute phase of the disease, it is better not to walk with the ward, but he still needs fresh air, so he needs to be well ventilated. Before airing, wrap the ward, make sure that it does not blow from the window. You can go for a walk – to the street, to the entrance, or at least to the balcony – only when the symptoms subside: for several days the temperature does not rise, the itching and rashes decrease, the pain decreases. But be careful not to overcool.

Checking daily will help reduce the chance of complications

Every day you need to be aware of how the rash changes. Inspection is best done with gloves, as your ward is still contagious. If the vesicles become cloudy, crusted or bruised, if an infection has joined, your ward should be shown to the doctor. Unfortunately, this disease has complications; if a person’s condition worsens, he must be treated in a hospital. Be sure to record all changes in the state of your loved one, keep a diary. Write down the temperature in it, describe the number of rashes and where they are located, the level of pain of the ward and changes in the state of the rash (whether there are bruises, swelling, blistering, crust, spread of the process).

Your observations will help the doctor to get a clear picture of the disease and help in a timely manner.

Reprinting of material on the Internet is possible only if there is an active hyperlink to the original material on the website pro-palliativ.ru

The material was prepared using a grant from the President of the Russian Federation provided by the Presidential Grants Fund.

Ringworm

Lichen is an ambiguous term that combines several types of dermatoses with characteristic elements of a rash, small peeling, accompanied by skin itching.

Causes of the occurrence of lichen are still not sufficiently studied. The most likely is a viral or fungal infection against the background of reduced immunity and increased sensitization of the body. The trigger for the development of the disease is often hypothermia, chronic stress, and a recent viral infection.

Forms. There are several forms of diseases. Depending on them, specialists prescribe one or another treatment. However, their clinical manifestations are similar. The patient complains of red or pink small bubbling rashes with jagged edges, serous or purulent contents of the vesicles and accompanied by intense itching come to the fore.

Pityriasis rosea (Giber’s disease) is an acute inflammatory dermatosis with a seasonal course (more often occurs in the autumn-spring period) characterized by the presence of previous symptoms (headache, fever, joint pain). Its distinguishing feature is the presence of a primary focus of oval shapes with clearly defined edges, covered with delicate scales, resembling corrugated paper. This is the so-called. “maternal” plaque. It is usually located on the chest, back, abdomen or thighs. A few days later, the same elements of the rash begin to appear all over the body, and the “mother’s” plaque shrinks and turns yellow. The disease is not contagious. Uncomplicated pink lichen does not need treatment, however, throughout the entire period of the disease, patients are strictly forbidden to wash. In some cases, to reduce itching, the doctor may prescribe antihistamines: Lomilan, Tavegil, Zirtek.

Lichen planus (Wilson’s disease) is a chronic disease that affects the skin and mucous membranes of the mouth. A characteristic symptom of the disease are rashes of an indistinct form, bluish-red in color, with a waxy sheen and depression in the center. The most favorite localization is the anterior surface of the forearms, lower legs, sacrum, external genitalia. The disease is not contagious. The therapy is aimed at eliminating itching Tavegil, Lomilan, Zirtek, preventing infection. Vitamin therapy is used, treatment and prevention of diseases of the digestive tract, physiotherapy and spa treatment, etc. are mandatory. In the treatment of lichen planus, systemic corticosteroids Prednisolone, Diprospan, ointments based on corticosteroids Celestoderm, Advantan, immunomodulators – Reaferon are used.

Ringworm (trichophytosis) is a contagious disease characterized by lesions of both smooth skin and scalp, hair and nails, caused by the fungus Trichophyton. This is a highly contagious disease, which, as a rule, affects children who come into contact with a sick animal. With this disease, not only smooth skin is affected, but also the skin of the scalp, hair and nail plates. Good results are obtained by treatment with Griseofulvin.

Shingles (or herpes zoster) is an acute infectious disease caused by a virus identical to the one that causes chickenpox in children. Rashes are preceded by local subjective symptoms (itching, paresthesia, pain). The rash is located in foci, interspersed with islands of healthy skin. A characteristic feature is the location of the rashes along the nerve fiber on one of the lateral surfaces of the body in the waist area. A rash in the form of single or red spots turns into blisters within a short period of time. Valtrex or Acyclovir may be used for treatment.

Diagnostics. Diagnosis of suspected lichen is made on the basis of a patient interview, the nature of the rash, examination of the affected skin under a Wood’s lamp, and microscopic examination of skin flakes.

Treatment. Treatment for various forms of lichen may be diametrically opposed. With a huge selection of medicines and dietary supplements in the pharmacy network of the city of Yekaterinburg, it is dangerous to engage in self-treatment. This is due to the fact that some forms of lichen pass on their own, it is enough just to stop contact with water. To cure others, it is necessary to use antifungal drugs.