What Is The Diagnostic Test For Shingles

Varicella zoster virus vzv laboratory testing information applies to testing and diagnosis of primary vzv infection varicella as well as reactivation or latent infection herpes zoster.

What is the diagnostic test for shingles. But for those with more uncommon symptoms such as a rash stretching completely across the body or no rash at all lab tests can be helpful diagnostic tools. For those with a classic case of the disease doctors can typically diagnose shingles just by looking at the rash and asking a few questions about your medical history. Overview diagnosis and tests management and treatment prevention outlook prognosis living with. This sample can then be tested for the presence of the shingles virus.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Shingles is usually diagnosed based on the history of pain on one side of your body along with the telltale rash and blisters. You might have a test done. Your doctor may also take a tissue scraping or culture of the blisters for examination in the laboratory.

See the information below from cdc s chickenpox varicella site about vzv laboratory testing and about the cdc national vzv laboratory. Tests for chickenpox and shingles may be performed to detect and diagnose a current or past infection with vzv. Your healthcare provider will scrape the blisters lightly to get a skin sample. These tips which you can do at home can help ease the pain and itch from shingles.

Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters that wraps around either the left or the right side of your torso. Most often testing is not necessary to diagnosis an active infection because it can be made from clinical signs and symptoms but in some people with atypical skin lesions a diagnostic test helps to confirm the infection. Laboratory testing pcr is the most useful test. In rare cases the diagnosis might not be obvious.

How is shingles diagnosed. If you think you could have shingles see a board certified dermatologist or other health care provider within 3 days of getting the rash. The blisters of a shingles rash usually appear in a band on one side of the body. If you have no rash or blisters and your provider still isn t sure whether you have shingles you may be sent for a blood test.

Shingles can be diagnosed by the way the rash is distributed on the body. Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus the same virus that causes chickenpox. Doctors rarely test for shingles unless the rash alone isn t enough to make a diagnosis. Overview symptoms causes treatment self care.

Shingles also may be diagnosed in a laboratory with the scrapings.