Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox.
See also: Ramsay Hunt syndrome
Alternative NamesHerpes zoster
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsAfter you get chickenpox, the virus remains inactive (becomes dormant) in certain nerves in the body. Shingles occurs after the virus becomes active again in these nerves years later.
The reason the virus suddenly become active again is not clear. Often only one attack occurs.
Shingles may develop in any age group, but you are more likely to develop the condition if:
If an adult or child has direct contact with the shingles rash on someone and has not had chickenpox as a child or a chickenpox vaccine, they can develop chickenpox, rather than shingles.
SymptomsThe first symptom is usually one-sided pain, tingling, or burning. The pain and burning may be severe and is usually present before any rash appears.
Red patches on the skin, followed by small blisters, form in most people.
Additional symptoms may include:
You may also have pain, muscle weakness, and a rash involving different parts of your face if shingles affects a nerve in your face. See: Ramsay Hunt syndrome
Signs and testsYour doctor can make the diagnosis by looking at your skin and asking questions about your medical history.
Tests are rarely needed, but may include taking a skin sample to see if the skin is infected with the virus that causes shingles.
Blood tests may show an increase in white blood cells and antibodies to the chickenpox virus but cannot confirm that the rash is due to shingles.
TreatmentYour doctor may prescribe a medicine that fights the virus, called an antiviral. The drug helps reduce pain and complications and shorten the course of the disease. Acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir may be used.
The medications should be started within 24 hours of feeling pain or burning, and preferably before the blisters appear. The drugs are usually given in pill form, in doses many times greater than those recommended for herpes simplex or genital herpes. Some people may need to receive the medicine through a vein (by IV).
Strong anti-inflammatory medicines called corticosteroids, such as prednisone, may be used to reduce swelling and the risk of continued pain. These drugs do not work in all patients.
Other medicines may include:
Cool wet compresses can be used to reduce pain. Soothing baths and lotions, such as colloidal oatmeal bath, starch baths, or calamine lotion, may help to relieve itching and discomfort.
Resting in bed until the fever goes down is recommended.
The skin should be kept clean, and contaminated items should not be reused. Nondisposable items should be washed in boiling water or otherwise disinfected before reuse. The person may need to be isolated while lesions are oozing to prevent infecting other people who have never had chickenpox -- especially pregnant women.
Expectations (prognosis)Herpes zoster usually clears in 2 to 3 weeks and rarely recurs. If the virus affects the nerves that control movement (the motor nerves), you may have temporary or permanent weakness or paralysis.
Sometimes, the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last from months to years. See: Postherpetic neuralgia
ComplicationsSometimes, the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last for months or years. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia. It occurs when the nerves have been damaged after an outbreak of shingles. Pain ranges from mild to very severe pain. It is more likely to occur in people over 60 years.
Other complications may include:
Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of shingles, particularly if you have a weakened immune system or if your symptoms persist or worsen. Shingles that affects the eye may lead to permanent blindness if you do not receive emergency medical care.
PreventionAvoid touching the rash and blisters of persons with shingles or chickenpox if you have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine.
A herpes zoster vaccine is available. It is different than the chickenpox vaccine. Older adults who receive the herpes zoster vaccine are less likely to have complications from shingles. Adults older than 60 should receive the herpes zoster vaccine as part of routine medical care.
See: Chickenpox vaccine
ReferencesSampathkumar P, Drage LA, Martin DP. Herpes zoster (shingles) and postherpetic neuralgia. Mayo Clin Proc. 2009 Mar;84(3):274-80.
Whitley RJ. Varicella-Zoster virus. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 137.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Recommended adult immunization schedule: United States, 2010. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:36-39.
Shingles (herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus, the virus that causes chickenpox.
See also: Ramsay Hunt syndrome
Alternative NamesHerpes zoster
Causes, incidence, and risk factorsAfter you get chickenpox, the virus remains inactive (becomes dormant) in certain nerves in the body. Shingles occurs after the virus becomes active again in these nerves years later.
The reason the virus suddenly become active again is not clear. Often only one attack occurs.
Shingles may develop in any age group, but you are more likely to develop the condition if:
If an adult or child has direct contact with the shingles rash on someone and has not had chickenpox as a child or a chickenpox vaccine, they can develop chickenpox, rather than shingles.
SymptomsThe first symptom is usually one-sided pain, tingling, or burning. The pain and burning may be severe and is usually present before any rash appears.
Red patches on the skin, followed by small blisters, form in most people.
Additional symptoms may include:
You may also have pain, muscle weakness, and a rash involving different parts of your face if shingles affects a nerve in your face. See: Ramsay Hunt syndrome
Signs and testsYour doctor can make the diagnosis by looking at your skin and asking questions about your medical history.
Tests are rarely needed, but may include taking a skin sample to see if the skin is infected with the virus that causes shingles.
Blood tests may show an increase in white blood cells and antibodies to the chickenpox virus but cannot confirm that the rash is due to shingles.
TreatmentYour doctor may prescribe a medicine that fights the virus, called an antiviral. The drug helps reduce pain and complications and shorten the course of the disease. Acyclovir, famciclovir, and valacyclovir may be used.
The medications should be started within 24 hours of feeling pain or burning, and preferably before the blisters appear. The drugs are usually given in pill form, in doses many times greater than those recommended for herpes simplex or genital herpes. Some people may need to receive the medicine through a vein (by IV).
Strong anti-inflammatory medicines called corticosteroids, such as prednisone, may be used to reduce swelling and the risk of continued pain. These drugs do not work in all patients.
Other medicines may include:
Cool wet compresses can be used to reduce pain. Soothing baths and lotions, such as colloidal oatmeal bath, starch baths, or calamine lotion, may help to relieve itching and discomfort.
Resting in bed until the fever goes down is recommended.
The skin should be kept clean, and contaminated items should not be reused. Nondisposable items should be washed in boiling water or otherwise disinfected before reuse. The person may need to be isolated while lesions are oozing to prevent infecting other people who have never had chickenpox -- especially pregnant women.
Expectations (prognosis)Herpes zoster usually clears in 2 to 3 weeks and rarely recurs. If the virus affects the nerves that control movement (the motor nerves), you may have temporary or permanent weakness or paralysis.
Sometimes, the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last from months to years. See: Postherpetic neuralgia
ComplicationsSometimes, the pain in the area where the shingles occurred may last for months or years. This pain is called postherpetic neuralgia. It occurs when the nerves have been damaged after an outbreak of shingles. Pain ranges from mild to very severe pain. It is more likely to occur in people over 60 years.
Other complications may include:
Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of shingles, particularly if you have a weakened immune system or if your symptoms persist or worsen. Shingles that affects the eye may lead to permanent blindness if you do not receive emergency medical care.
PreventionAvoid touching the rash and blisters of persons with shingles or chickenpox if you have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine.
A herpes zoster vaccine is available. It is different than the chickenpox vaccine. Older adults who receive the herpes zoster vaccine are less likely to have complications from shingles. Adults older than 60 should receive the herpes zoster vaccine as part of routine medical care.
See: Chickenpox vaccine
ReferencesSampathkumar P, Drage LA, Martin DP. Herpes zoster (shingles) and postherpetic neuralgia. Mayo Clin Proc. 2009 Mar;84(3):274-80.
Whitley RJ. Varicella-Zoster virus. In: Mandell GL, Bennett JE, Dolin R, eds. Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 7th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Churchill Livingstone; 2009:chap 137.
Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices. Recommended adult immunization schedule: United States, 2010. Ann Intern Med. 2010;152:36-39.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 05/25/2010
Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Medical Director, MEDEX Northwest Division of Physician Assistant Studies, University of Washington, School of Medicine; Jatin M. Vyas, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School; Assistant in Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
The same virus that made you itch and scratch from chickenpox when you were a child can come back to haunt you when you get older. You'll know it's come back by the painful, blistery rash it leaves on your skin.
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that's responsible for chickenpox. Before there was a vaccine to prevent chickenpox, it was a very common childhood illness. After you have chickenpox, the virus can lie hidden in your body for years. Then when you get older, it can become active again. This time it's called shingles, not chickenpox.
Doctors don't really know why the shingles virus reappears in some people but not others. If you're over age 60 or you have a weak immune system, your risk of getting the disease is higher.
You can tell that it's shingles by the red, blistery patches on your skin, especially if you had chickenpox when you were young. Usually the rash is focused on your trunk area around your back, belly, and chest. You may also have blisters on your face. It will probably hurt, tingle, or burn, sometimes even before there is a rash. When the blisters break open, they'll dry out and form crusts.
If you do have shingles, your doctor may prescribe an antiviral drug like acyclovir, famciclovir, or valacyclovir. These drugs fight the virus that causes shingles, but you need to start taking them within 24 hours after you start feeling the pain and burning of the rash for them to be effective. You may also get medicines to reduce swelling and relieve itching and pain. To ease really bothersome itching at home, soak in a soothing bath or gently rub calamine lotion on your skin.
Most cases of shingles clear up within a couple of weeks. Sometimes, though, shingles can leave behind permanent nerve damage, called postherpetic neuralgia.
The good news about shingles is that once it clears up, it's usually gone for good. But the pain, and nerve damage it causes, can sometimes linger. If you've had shingles and your pain isn't subsiding or your rash isn't clearing up, call your doctor. To avoid getting shingles, stay away from anyone who has either shingles or chickenpox, especially if you've never had chickenpox before. And get vaccinated against the varicella-zoster virus if you're over age 60.
Reviewed ByReview Date: 10/25/2011
Alan Greene, MD, Author and Practicing Pediatrician; also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
No. Shingles is not contagious, but someone with shingles can give chicken pox or varicella to someone who has not had chicken pox before.
Shingles
No. You only get shingles's if you have had chickenpox. No chickenpox no shingles's.
Shingles vaccine protects you from the shingles for few years only.
You could get the vaccine if you already had shingles; but it may not help you from recurrence of zoster, which by the way is less than 5%. If it does recur, the vaccine may help you.
Shingles is caused by the chickenpox virus. You do not get shingles from someone with shingles; you get chickenpox from someone with shingles. Then when you get older, you will get shingles because you had chickenpox. Or, you might get older and never get chickenpox. In that case, you will thank your mother for having you vaccinated against chickenpox when you were a child.
Can you take the shingles shot while having shingles
No, it did not cause shingles.
You can get pregnant after having shingles.
or fiberglass ? Depends where you live, determines what shingles to use.
1 square of roofing shingles is 3 bundles of shingles equaling 63 shingles per square.
Shingles comes from having chickenpox in the past. It stays in your body and as you age it comes out as shingles. There is a shot for it.