Is shingles, herpes zoster, and herpes type II, all the same thing?!
Question:
Im suffering symptoms which I can't identify, as either, herpes II, shingles or herpes zoster. Some of these symptoms are: redeness on around the pennis area (not on the pennis itself), itchy, red and swollen patch skin area (across the chest), and under the arm (right side), also, a red big blemish (on right side of my lower back) that has lasted for 5 days swollen, no head, no pus. What kind of herpes I am suffering from? Your help will be greatly appreciated. Thanks a lot.
Answers:
For two years I had skin outbreaks on my upper back, both upper arms and upper chest and on the left side of my face. They were insanely itchy and ranged in size from a small spot to the size of a bread and butter plate. For two yrs this was diagnosed as shingles even though all the creams medications and treatments were not working. Ive recently now been diagnosed with Lupus. This skin irritation is Discoid Lupus. There is no cure and its horrible. Sometimes i will not go outside for weeks because the outbreaks look like some dreaded catchy disease and I can imagine what people would think. There could be many things this could be. Plz go see your doctor. Don't leave it n accept one opinion. It could be something quite serious and the earlier its diagnosed the quicker you can get the relevant treatment. Good Luck. Hope its just a minor little problem.
Other Answers:
Sounds like shingles but i would go to a doctor and make sure. It's all herpes any way you look at it. Very painful but they do have a creme out to ease that. Good luck
shingles and herpes zoster are the same thing caused by the varicella virus (also known as chicken pox). in people that have had chicken pox the virus can take up residence in their nervous system and remain dormant for years and then reappear as shingles. shingles are generally on one side of the body (left or right) and never the midline (due to the nerve routes). as far as herpes II, generally it's in the genital area and the skin around the area. so, since your symptoms don't really match either of these, go see your doctor asap
I would question whether this is truly any of the above. Shingles follows a nerve line, on only one side of the body, and normally wouldn't be around the penis. (Herpes Zoster IS shingles). Herpes Type II is genital herpes, but would be very unlikely to be in the areas you describe or just a blemish. All herpes infections start with little vesicles (blisters) which eventually dry up and crust over. (Think how it looked if you ever had chicken pox).
I would definitely check out going to a doctor, ER, or free clinic. You could be contagious.
1. Herpes zoster is the same virus that causes chicken pox, then it lies dormant in certain nerve fibers. It may become active as a result of many factors such as: aging, stress, suppression of the immune system, and certain medications.
Herpes simplex virus 1 Human herpes virus 1 facial, labial and ocular lesions
Herpes simplex virus 2 Human herpes virus 2 genital lesions
Varicella-zoster virus Human herpes virus 3 chickenpox and shingles
Human Betaherpesvirinae include:
Human cytomegalovirus Human herpes virus 5 infectious mononucleosis
(no common names) Human herpes virus 6 & 7 mild early childhood roseola
Gammaherpesvirinae. These herpesviruses are also lymphotropic and specific for either T or B lymphocytes. Members of this subfamily isolated in humans are:
Epstein-Barr virus Human herpesvirus 4 cofactor in human cancers
Karposi's sarcoma herpesvirus Human herpesvirus 8 cofactor in Karposi's sarcoma which was extremely rare until the advent of AIDS.
Rest and pain relief are important - try paracetamol initially
A bland, protective application should be applied to the rash. Try povidone iodine or calamine lotion.
Capsaicin cream may be helpful for pain relief for post-herpetic neuralgia.
Antiviral medication available for shingles on prescription include:
Acyclovir
Valaciclovir
Famciclovir
In severe or extensive cases aciclovir may be given intravenously for a few days.
In some circumstances, systemic steroids may also be recommended.
Oral antibiotics may be needed for secondary infection, usually flucloxacillin or erythromycin.
hope this helps.
Source(s):
http://www.dermnetnz.org/viral/herpes-zoster.html
Herpes simple is: Oral and genital herpes
Herpes Zoster is just the herpes zoster and its very differente from the simple type.
It sounds like shingles to me. Check with your doc and you are very highly contagious.
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