Shingles
Source: MedlinePlus Health Topics, U.S. National Library of Medicine
What is shingles? Shingles (herpes zoster) is an infection that causes a painful rash. It is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). This is the same virus that causes chickenpox . After you have chickenpox, the virus stays in your body. It may not cause problems for many years. But as you get older, the virus may become active again and cause shingles. Is shingles contagious? Shingles is not contagious. You cannot get shingles from someone else. But you can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you have direct contact with fluid from their shingles rash. The risk of spreading the virus is low if the shingles rash is kept covered. People with shingles cannot spread the virus before their rash blisters appear or after the rash crusts. Who is at risk for shingles? Anyone who has had chickenpox can get shingles. But the risk of shingles goes up as you get older. Shingles is most common in people over age 50. People with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of getting shingles. This includes those who: Have immune system diseases such as HIV Have certain cancers Take medicines that weaken their immune system, such as steroids and medicines you take after an organ transplant Your immune system may be weaker when you have an infection or are stressed. This can raise your risk of shingles. It is rare, but possible, to get shingles more than once. What are the symptoms of shingles? Early signs of shingles include burning or shooting pain and tingling or itching. It is usually on one side of the body or face. The pain can be mild to severe. Up to several days later, you will get a rash. It consists of blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days. The rash is usually a single stripe around either the left or the right side of the body. In other cases, the rash is only on one side of the face. In rare cases (usually among people with weakened immune systems), the rash may be more widespread. It might look similar to a chickenpox rash. Some people may al