Do you know the symptoms of herpes zoster ophthalmicus?

Many people feel confused when they hear the word herpes. They don’t know what the disease is, how it is caused, and what symptoms it may cause. Therefore, when they suffer from the disease, they will not pay attention to it and will not discover it until it becomes serious. Today I will share with you the specific symptoms of herpes zoster ophthalmicus.

1. Typical manifestations

Before the rash occurs, there may be systemic symptoms such as mild fatigue, low fever, and poor appetite. The affected skin will feel burning or neuralgia, and there will be obvious pain sensitivity when touched, which lasts for 1 to 3 days. The rash may also occur without any prodromal symptoms. The most common sites are the areas innervated by the intercostal nerves, cervical nerves, trigeminal nerves and lumbar sacral nerves. The affected area often first develops erythema, soon followed by millet- to soybean-sized papules, which are clustered and not fused, and then quickly turn into blisters with tense and shiny blister walls, clear blister fluid, and a red halo around the periphery. The skin between clusters of blisters is normal. The lesions are arranged in a band-like manner along a peripheral nerve, mostly on one side of the body, usually not exceeding the midline. Neuralgia is one of the characteristics of this disease, which may occur before the onset of the disease or accompany skin lesions, and is often more severe in elderly patients. The course of the disease is generally 2 to 3 weeks. After the blisters dry up and the scabs fall off, temporary light red spots or pigmentation remain.

2. Special Performance

1. Herpes zoster ophthalmicus. It is caused by a virus invading the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve. It is more common in the elderly. It causes severe pain and can involve the cornea to form ulcerative keratitis.

2. Herpes zoster oticus. It is caused by virus invasion of the facial nerve and auditory nerve, and manifests as herpes in the external auditory canal or tympanic membrane. When the geniculate ganglion is affected and the motor and sensory nerve fibers of the facial nerve are invaded at the same time, a triad of facial paralysis, ear pain, and external auditory canal herpes may occur, which is called Ramsay-Hunt syndrome.

3. Postherpetic neuralgia. Shingles is often accompanied by neuralgia, which may occur before the rash, during the rash, and after the skin lesions have healed, but it usually disappears after the skin lesions have completely subsided or within 1 month. In a few patients, the neuralgia may last for more than 1 month, which is called postherpetic neuralgia.

4. Other atypical herpes zoster. It is related to the difference in the body's resistance of patients, and can manifest as abortive type with no skin lesions but only neuralgia, incomplete type with only erythema and papules but no blisters that disappear immediately, bullous type, hemorrhagic type, gangrenous type and generalized type involving more than 2 ganglia at the same time, resulting in skin lesions in multiple areas on the contralateral or ipsilateral side. The virus can occasionally spread through the blood to produce widespread varicella-like rash and invade organs such as the lungs and brain, which is called disseminated herpes zoster.

The above are some common clinical manifestations of shingles. I believe that patients now have a deep understanding of this. If you find yourself with the above symptoms, you must go to a local regular dermatology hospital for treatment in time. Do not delay the disease, otherwise it will endanger your life.