Understanding Shingles

by National Institute of Health

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a disease that affects an estimated 2 in every 10 people in their lifetime. This year, more than 500,000 people will develop shingles.

Although it is most common in people over age 50, if you have had chickenpox, you are at risk for developing shingles. Shingles is also more common in people with weakened immune systems from HIV infection, chemotherapy or radiation treatment, transplant operations, and stress.

Cause

Shingles is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. After an attack of chickenpox, the virus lies dormant in the nerve tissue. As we get older, it is possible for the virus to reappear in the form of shingles.

Symptoms

Early signs of shingles include burning or shooting pain and tingling or itching generally located on one side of the body or face. The pain can be severe. Rash or blisters are present anywhere from 1 to 14 days.

Diagnosis

You should go to your health care provider if you develop a rash. By looking at the rash, your health care provider can tell whether you have shingles and start you on treatment if you do.

Treatment

There is no cure for shingles, but the severity and duration of an attack of shingles can be significantly reduced if you are treated immediately with antiviral medicines. These medicines include acyclovir, valacyclovir, or famcyclovir.

Prevention

In May 2006, the Food and Drug Administration approved use of a vaccine to prevent shingles. The vaccine, called Zostavax, is recommended for people 60 years of age and older who have had chickenpox but who have not had shingles. Researchers estimate the vaccine could prevent 250,000 cases of shingles that occur in the United States each year and significantly reduce the severity of the disease in another 250,000 cases annually.

Complications

If shingles appears on your face, it can lead to complications in your hearing and vision. For instance, if shingles affects your eye, the cornea can become infected and lead to temporary or permanent blindness. Another complication of the virus is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a condition where the pain from shingles persists for months, sometimes years, after the shingles rash has healed.

Research

The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, and other institutes of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) conduct shingles research in NIH laboratories and support additional research through grants to major medical institutions across the country. Currently, researchers are trying to find new methods for treating shingles and its complications.

About the Author

NIH is the nation's medical research agency - making important medical discoveries that improve health and save lives. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, is the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting medical research.