Shingles

Shingles Slideshow

• Shingles Overview
• Shingles Causes
• Shingles Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Shingles Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medications
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Synonyms and Keywords
• References
• Authors and Editors
• Pictures of Shingles - Slideshow

Shingles Overview

Shingles (also termed herpes zoster) is a disease caused by reactivation of the herpes zoster virus (varicella-zoster virus, or VZV) that results in a painful localized skin rash, usually with blisters (fluid filled sacks) on top of the reddish skin. This same virus causes the childhood illness chickenpox. The chickenpox virus (varicella) remains in a dormant state in the body in the root of nerves that control sensation. In about one out of five people, the virus "wakes up," often many years after the chickenpox infection. The virus then travels along a sensory nerve into the skin and causes shingles. The majority of patients who get shingles are over the age of 60; it infrequently occurs in younger people. Investigators estimate that about 1 million cases of shingles occur per year in the U.S.

• The term shingles is derived from the Latin and French words for belt or girdle, reflecting the distribution of the rash in a broad band. This band is usually only on one side of the body and represents a dermatome -- the area that a single sensory nerve supplies in the skin.



• Anyone who has had the chickenpox infection or vaccine can carry the herpes zoster virus that causes shingles. Older people (over 50 years of age); those with cancer, HIV, or organ transplant, or people that have a decreased ability to fight off infection have a greater chance of getting shingles.



• The majority of people with shingles, however, are healthy. No special tests need to be done to see if your immune system is strong.