Shingles, or herpes zoster, affects about 1 million people in the U.S. annually, primarily those over 50 or with weakened immune systems due to various conditions. Caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the disease can present with early symptoms of pain and a subsequent rash, requiring diagnosis and treatment from healthcare providers. While there is no cure, antiviral medications can lessen the severity and duration of the attack, and vaccination is recommended for those 60 and older to reduce incidence and severity.

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Health Topics
Shingles

2. 1
Overview
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a
disease that affects an estimated 1 million people
in the United States each
year.

3. 2
Overview
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

4. 3
Overview
stress.

5. 4
Causes
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 (asleep) in
the nerve tissue. As we get

6. 5
Causes
older, it is possible for the virus to reappear in the
form
of shingles.

7. 6
Symptoms
Early symptoms of shingles include burning
or shooting pain and tingling or itching generally
located on one side of the
your body or face. The pain can be severe. Rash or
blisters appear anywhere

8. 7
Symptoms
from 1 to 14 days after you feel the early
symptoms.

9. 8
Diagnosis
You should go to your healthcare provider
if you develop a rash. By looking at the rash, your
healthcare provider can
tell whether you have shingles and start you on
treatment if you do.

10. 9
Treatment
There is no cure for shingles. There is no
cure for shingles, but how bad an attack will be
and how long it will last can
be much reduced if you start taking antiviral
medicines right away. These

11. 10
Treatment
medicines include acyclovir, valacyclovir, or
famcyclovir.

12. 11
Prevention
If you are 60 years of age or older, the
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
recommends that you get a single
dose of the shingles vaccine (called Zostavax), even
if you already

13. 12
Prevention
have had shingles.
Health experts 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

14. 13
Prevention
annually.