What Are the Symptoms of Zoster Sine Herpete?
The symptoms of zoster sine herpete include pain, numbness, tingling and itching, or constitutional symptoms, such as headache, chills, nausea and fever, according to the National Shingles Foundation. Unlike other forms of shingles, zoster sine herpete does not cause a rash on the skin.
The varicella-zoster virus causes zoster sine herpete and other types of shingles, says the National Shingles Foundation. This virus is the same one responsible for chickenpox. After a person recovers from chicken pox, the virus lies dormant in the body but can eventually reappear as shingles. Shingles, or herpes zoster, is an outbreak of a painful rash or blisters on the skin and typically occurs in a band or cluster on one side of the body. With zoster sine herpete, there is no rash or blister outbreak, but the other symptoms of shingles still affect the patient.
Shingles are not contagious and only occur in a person who has had chickenpox previously, explains the National Shingles Foundation. Antiviral medications can effectively treat a shingles outbreak but work best when the patient starts taking them within the first couple of days of infection. Due to the lack of a rash or noticeable skin reaction with zoster sine herpete, the patient may not realize he has a form of shingles and may delay seeking treatment.
