What is Shingles ?
What causes shingles? Shingles is a skin rash caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. This virus is called the Varicella zoster virus (VZV) and is in the Herpes family of viruses. After an individual has chickenpox, this virus lives in the nervous system and is never fully cleared from the body. Under certain circumstances, such as emotional stress, immune deficiency (from AIDS or chemotherapy), or with cancer, the virus reactivates and causes shingles. In most cases of shingles, however, a cause for the reactivation of the virus is never found. Anyone who has ever had chickenpox is at risk for the development of shingles, although it occurs most commonly in people over the age of 60. It has been estimated that up to 1,000,000 cases of shingles occur each year in the U.S. The herpes virus that causes shingles and chickenpox is not the same as the herpes viruses that causes genital herpes (which can be sexually transmitted) or herpes mouth sores. Shingles is medically termed He
Shingles (also called Herpes Zoster) is an angry red rash on the skin caused by a virus called Varicella Zoster, which also causes Chickenpox. Shingles comes from the the Latin word Cingulum, which means a girdle or a belt. The rash usually appears on the body in the form of a well-defined band. Another characteristic of the disease is that the rash always appears on only one side of the body: either the left side or the right side. Large fluid filled blisters can be seen on a red skin, most commonly in the stomach and abdominal area or on the face: near the eyes and nose. Shingles can be a very painful disease since the virus affects the nerve cells in the body. The only way to get Shingles is if you have previously had Chicken Pox. Research has shown that herpes virus (which cause common cold, sores and even genital herpes) never really leaves the body. Although you do not get another chicken pox infection again in your life, the same virus that gave you chicken pox can give you an a
