Shingles

Shingles is a much better-sounding name that the virus it is associated with – herpes zoster. However, you will encounter an outbreak of rashes or blisters that appear on the skin all the same. Did you know that the same virus (the varicella-zoster virus) that brings chickenpox to schoolchildren causes shingles? You probably didn’t know that if you’ve ever had chickenpox, then you are at risk for developing this condition.

Causes and Symptoms

A second eruption of the varicella-zoster virus, which is a member of the same group of viruses that causes herpes, causes shingles to emerge. Many people believe that the aftermath of chickenpox stops at childhood, but many years later – the virus can inactively hide within the nervous system for years before deciding to make a reappearance in the form of shingles.

Oftentimes, burning or tingling pain are the first signs of this condition. A patient may experience numbness or itchy skin that affects one specific location on only one side of the body. After several days or one week has passed, a rash consisting of fluid-filled blisters (much like chickenpox) will erupt in one area on one side of the body. The pain that accompanies the condition ranges from mild to intense.