Shingles, medically termed as herpes zoster, is a viral infection characterised by a very painful skin rash of blisters, usually in a stripe on one side of the body. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox in children. This virus is called the varicella zoster virus (VZV) and is in the herpes family of viruses. However, herpes virus that causes shingles and chickenpox is not the same as the herpes virus that causes genital herpes (a sexually transmitted disease) or herpes mouth sores.
In individuals who have chickenpox, the virus is never removed from the body. It lives in the nervous system. After several years, under condition of deep emotional stress and immune deficiency (from AIDS or chemotherapy) or with cancer, the virus reactivates and appears as shingles. Thus, people infected with chickenpox during their life are at a risk of developing shingles. Besides, you cannot develop shingles without a previous infection of chickenpox. Shingles mostly occurs in individuals over the age of 60, although children can also be affected with the condition.
The earliest symptoms of shingles include headaches, malaise and fever. Hence, the condition is often misdiagnosed. Before the rash appears, you may experience burning pain and sensitive skin for several days. Rash starts as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for 3 to 5 days. In due course, the blisters pop, and the area starts to ooze. The affected areas then crusts over and heals. The duration of a shingles outbreak may take 3 to 4 weeks from start to finish.
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