Symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus

List of symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus:

The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Herpes zoster oticus includes the 7 symptoms listed below:

• Hearing loss
• Vertigo
• Tinnitus
• Facial paralysis
• Tongue taste loss
• Dry mouth
• Dry eyes

Note that Herpes zoster oticus symptoms usually refers to various symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Herpes zoster oticus signs may refer to those signs only noticable by a doctor.

More ways to research these symptoms: To research other symptoms use the symptom center, or to research causes of more than one symptom in combination, try our multi-symptom search.

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Do I have Herpes zoster oticus?

• Herpes zoster oticus: Introduction
• Herpes zoster oticus: Diagnostic Testing to confirm diagnosis
• Home Diagnostic Testing
• Hidden Causes of Herpes zoster oticus
• How serious is it?
• Treatments for Herpes zoster oticus
• More about Herpes zoster oticus

Home Diagnostic Testing

Home medical tests related to Herpes zoster oticus:

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• Sexuality & Libido: Home Testing:
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• Liver Health: Home Testing
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More about symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus:

More information about symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus and related conditions:

• Tests to determine if these are the symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus
• Symptoms that may be caused by complications of Herpes zoster oticus
• Underlying causes of Herpes zoster oticus

Other Possible Causes of these Symptoms

Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.

• Dry eyes - see all causes of Dry eye
• Dry mouth - see all causes of Dry mouth
• Facial paralysis - see all causes of Facial paralysis
• Hearing loss - see all causes of Hearing loss
• Tinnitus - see all causes of Tinnitus
• Tongue taste loss - see all causes of Loss of taste
• Vertigo - see all causes of Vertigo

Medical Books Online about Herpes zoster oticus

Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Herpes zoster oticus are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Herpes zoster oticus.

Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.

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Symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus: Online Medical Books

16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus.

Genital herpes: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

After a 3- to 7-day incubation period, fluid-filled vesicles appear, usually on the cervix (the primary infection site) and possibly on the labia, perianal skin, vulva, or vagina of the female and on the glans penis, foreskin, or penile shaft of the male. Extragenital lesions may appear on the mouth or anus. In both males and females, the vesicles, usually painless at first, will rupture and develop into extensive, shallow, painful ulcers, with redness, marked edema, tender inguinal lymph nodes, and the characteristic yellow, oozing centers.

Other features of initial mucocutaneous infection include fever, malaise, dysuria and, in females, leukorrhea. Rare complications (generally from extragenital lesions) include herpetic keratitis, which may lead to blindness, and potentially fatal herpetic encephalitis.

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Herpes zoster: Signs and symptoms
(Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition))

Herpes zoster begins with fever and malaise. Within 2 to 4 days, severe deep pain, pruritus, and paresthesia or hyperesthesia develop, usually on the trunk and occasionally on the arms and legs in a dermatomal distribution. Pain may be continuous or intermittent and usually lasts from 1 to 4 weeks. Up to 2 weeks after the first symptoms, small red nodular skin lesions erupt on the painful areas. (These lesions typically spread unilaterally around the thorax or vertically over the arms or legs.) Sometimes nodules don't appear at all, but when they do, they quickly become vesicles filled with clear fluid or pus. About 10 days after they appear, the vesicles dry and form scabs. (See Recognizing shingles.) When ruptured, such lesions usually become infected and, in severe cases, may lead to the enlargement of regional lymph nodes; they may even become gangrenous. Intense pain may occur before the rash appears and after the scabs form.

Occasionally, herpes zoster involves the cranial nerves, especially the trigeminal and geniculate ganglia or the oculomotor nerve. Geniculate zoster may cause vesicle formation in the external auditory canal, ipsilateral facial palsy, hearing loss, dizziness, and loss of taste. Trigeminal ganglion involvement causes eye pain and, possibly, corneal and scleral damage and impaired vision. Rarely, oculomotor involvement causes conjunctivitis, extraocular weakness, ptosis, and paralytic mydriasis.

In rare cases, herpes zoster leads to generalized central nervous system infection, muscle atrophy, motor paralysis (usually transient), acute transverse myelitis, and ascending myelitis. More commonly, generalized infection causes acute urine retention and unilateral diaphragm paralysis. In postherpetic neuralgia, most common in elderly persons, intractable neurologic pain may persist for years. Scars may be permanent.

Patients with immunodeficiency disorders may develop disseminated zoster. Lesions are bilateral and not limited to dermatomal distribution.

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Herpes zoster: Signs and symptoms
(Handbook of Diseases)

Herpes zoster usually runs a typical course with classic signs and symptoms. Serious complications sometimes occur.

Onset of disease

Herpes zoster begins with fever and malaise. Within 2 to 4 days, severe deep pain, pruritus, and paresthesia or hyperesthesia develop, usually on the trunk and occasionally on the arms and legs in a dermatomal distribution. Pain may be continuous or intermittent and usually lasts from 1 to 4 weeks.

Skin lesions

Up to 2 weeks after the first symptoms, small, red, nodular skin lesions erupt on the painful areas. These lesions commonly spread unilaterally around the thorax or vertically over the arms or legs. Sometimes nodules don’t appear, but when they do, they quickly become vesicles filled with clear fluid or pus.

About 10 days after they appear, the vesicles dry and form scabs. (See Skin lesions in herpes zoster.) When they rupture, such lesions commonly become infected and, in severe cases, may lead to the enlargement of regional lymph nodes; they may even become gangrenous. Intense pain may occur before the rash appears and after the scabs form.

Cranial nerve involvement

Occasionally, herpes zoster involves the cranial nerves, especially the trigeminal and geniculate ganglia or the oculomotor nerve. Geniculate zoster may cause vesicle formation in the external auditory canal, ipsilateral facial palsy, hearing loss, dizziness, and loss of taste.

Trigeminal ganglion involvement causes eye pain and, possibly, corneal and scleral damage and impaired vision. Rarely, oculomotor involvement causes conjunctivitis, extraocular weakness, ptosis, and paralytic mydriasis.

Rare complications

In rare cases, herpes zoster leads to generalized central nervous system infection, muscle atrophy, motor paralysis (usually transient), acute transverse myelitis, and ascending myelitis. More commonly, generalized infection causes acute retention of urine and unilateral paralysis of the diaphragm. In postherpetic neuralgia, a complication most common in elderly patients, intractable neuralgic pain may persist for years. Scars may be permanent.

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Article Excerpts About Symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus:

Ramsay Hunt syndrome type I, which is caused by the spread of the varicella-zoster virus to facial nerves, is characterized by intense ear pain, a rash around the ear, mouth, face, neck, and scalp, and paralysis of facial nerves. Other symptoms may include hearing loss, vertigo (abnormal sensation of movement), and tinnitus (abnormal sounds). Taste loss in the tongue and dry mouth and eyes may also occur. (Source: excerpt from NINDS Ramsay Hunt Syndrome Type I Information Page: NINDS)

Herpes zoster oticus as a Cause of Symptoms or Medical Conditions

When considering symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus, it is also important to consider Herpes zoster oticus as a possible cause of other medical conditions. The Disease Database lists the following medical conditions that Herpes zoster oticus may cause:

• 7th cranial nerve disorder
• Ear pain
• Fits
• Headache
• Myoclonus
• Nystagmus
• Sensorineural hearing loss
• Throat sore
• Vesiculo-bullous rash
• Vestibular pathology

Medical articles and books on symptoms:

These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:

• How serious is Herpes zoster oticus?
• More about Herpes zoster oticus
• Online Diagnosis
• Self Diagnosis Pitfalls
• Pitfalls of Online Diagnosis
• Symptoms of the Silent Killer Diseases
• Lesser known silent killer diseases
• Books on signs and symptoms

Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis

About signs and symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus:

The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus. This signs and symptoms information for Herpes zoster oticus has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Herpes zoster oticus signs or Herpes zoster oticus symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Herpes zoster oticus may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Herpes zoster oticus symptoms.