About 13 percent of people over 60 who experience shingles go on to develop PHN. Having more than one of these factors increases your risk. In addition to pain, PHN can make your body sensitive to touch and to changes in temperature and wind. You should see your doctor as soon as you suspect shingles, or when you see a rash. The earlier shingles is treated, the less severe symptoms may become.
Early treatment can also reduce your risk for PHN. If pain persists after the rash has cleared, see your doctor as soon as possible. They can work with you to develop a pain management plan. If your pain is severe, they may refer you to a pain specialist for additional consultation. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shingles vaccine in most all adults over age Shingles can recur.
But you can give others chickenpox. After you have chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus stays dormant in your body. If this virus reactivates, shingles occurs. You are contagious to others until all areas of the rash are dried up and crusted over.
To catch the varicella-zoster virus from you, a person has to have direct contact with your rash blisters. Shingles is a condition related to chickenpox. It mostly affects older adults. Learn the causes and how to avoid getting or spreading the virus that…. Shingles, or herpes zoster, occurs when the dormant chickenpox virus is reactivated in nerve tissues.
Talk with your doctor if you are experiencing PHN or have any of these symptoms. Usually, PHN will lessen over time. Everyone who has had chickenpox is at risk for developing shingles. Researchers do not fully understand what makes the virus become active and cause shingles. But some things make it more likely:. The current shingles vaccine brand name Shingrix is a safe, easy, and more effective way to prevent shingles than the previous vaccine.
Most adults age 50 and older should get vaccinated with the shingles vaccine, which is given in two doses. Medicare Part D and private health insurance plans may cover some or all of the cost.
Check with Medicare or your health plan to find out if it is covered. If you are unsure about the above criteria or have other health concerns, talk with your doctor before getting the vaccine.
Read about this topic in Spanish. MedlinePlus National Library of Medicine www. When should I call my healthcare provider? Key points about shingles Shingles is a common viral infection of the nerves. It causes a painful rash or small blisters on an area of skin. It is more common in people with weakened immune systems, and in people over the age of The rash is typically affects just one area on one side of the body or face.
Treatment that is started as soon as possible helps reduce the severity of the disease. Next steps Tips to help you get the most from a visit to your healthcare provider: Know the reason for your visit and what you want to happen. Before your visit, write down questions you want answered. Bring someone with you to help you ask questions and remember what your provider tells you.
At the visit, write down the name of a new diagnosis, and any new medicines, treatments, or tests. Also write down any new instructions your provider gives you. Know why a new medicine or treatment is prescribed, and how it will help you. Also know what the side effects are. Ask if your condition can be treated in other ways. Know why a test or procedure is recommended and what the results could mean.
Know what to expect if you do not take the medicine or have the test or procedure. If you have a follow-up appointment, write down the date, time, and purpose for that visit. Know how you can contact your provider if you have questions. It's not known exactly why the shingles virus is reactivated at a later stage in life, but most cases are thought to be caused by having lowered immunity protection against infections and diseases. It's not possible to catch shingles from someone with the condition or from someone with chickenpox.
However, you can catch chickenpox from someone with shingles if you haven't had chickenpox before. The blisters that form contain live virus. If a person who has never had chickenpox makes direct contact with an open blister or something with the fluid on it, they can contract the virus and develop chickenpox.
If you have shingles, you're contagious until the last blister has dried and scabbed over. To help prevent the virus being passed on, avoid sharing towels or flannels, swimming, or playing contact sports. You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping oozing fluid and can't be covered. Chickenpox can be particularly dangerous for certain groups of people. If you have shingles, avoid:. Although there's no cure for shingles, treatment is available to relieve the symptoms until the condition resolves.
Most cases of shingles last around two to four weeks. Read more about treating shingles. Shingles can sometimes lead to complications, such as postherpetic neuralgia. This is where severe nerve pain lasts for several months or more after the rash has gone. Complications such as this are usually in elderly people who have had the condition and those with a weakened immune system. Read more about the complications of shingles. It's not always possible to prevent shingles, but a vaccine called Zostavax can reduce your chances of developing the condition.
If you still develop shingles after having this vaccine, it may be milder and last for a shorter time than usual. Read more about shingles vaccination. This vaccine's now routinely offered in Scotland as a single injection to people aged Some cases of shingles can affect one of the eyes and are known as ophthalmic shingles. This occurs when the virus is reactivated in part of the trigeminal nerve, a nerve that controls sensation and movement in your face.
An episode of shingles typically lasts around two to four weeks. The main symptoms are pain, followed by a rash. Any part of your body can be affected, including your face and eyes, although the chest and abdomen tummy are the most common areas where shingles develops. In some cases, shingles may cause some early prodromal symptoms that develop a few days before the painful rash first appears.
Not everyone will experience these prodromal symptoms. A high temperature is particularly uncommon. Eventually, most people with shingles experience a localised "band" of pain in the affected area. The pain can be a constant, dull or burning sensation and its intensity can vary from mild to severe. Pain is less common in young healthy people and is rare in children. It usually starts a few days before the rash appears and can remain for a few days or weeks after the rash has healed.
The shingles rash usually appears on one side of your body and develops on the area of skin related to the affected nerve. Initially, the shingles rash appears as red blotches on your skin before developing into itchy blisters similar in appearance to chickenpox.
Scabs then form where the blisters were, which may leave some slight scarring. It usually takes two to four weeks for the rash to heal completely. Shingles is not usually serious, but you should see your GP as soon as possible if you recognise the symptoms. You should also see your GP if you are pregnant or have a weakened immune system the body's natural defence system and you think you have been exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles and haven't had chickenpox before.
Shingles is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, which is the virus that causes chickenpox. After you have had chickenpox , the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant inactive inside your body. It can become reactivated at a later stage and cause shingles. It is not known exactly why the virus is reactivated, but it is linked to having lowered immunity protection against infection and diseases.
Your immunity to illness and infection can become lowered if there is a problem with your immune system the body's natural defence system. This can happen as a result of:. It is not possible to catch shingles from someone else with the condition, or from someone with chickenpox. However, it is possible for someone who has never had chickenpox to catch it from someone with shingles, as the shingles blisters contains the live virus. In the UK, chickenpox is so common during childhood that 9 out of 10 adults have already had it and will not be at risk from someone with shingles.
The blisters that develop as a result of shingles contain virus particles. If you have not had chickenpox before, you can catch it from direct contact with the fluid from the blisters of someone who has shingles, or from something that has the fluid on it, such as bed sheets or a towel.
If you have shingles, you are contagious until the last blister has scabbed over. This will usually occur after about 10 to 14 days.
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