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Can Shingles Be Fatal?

Shingles is a condition caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox. Sometimes, severe complications do occur, but the fatality rate for shingles is very low, and effective treatments are available.

  1. Features

    • In the normal course of an outbreak of shingles, an affected person develops pain and a blistering rash on one side of the body, generally on the midsection or face, according to the Mayo Clinic. These symptoms clear up within a week or 10 days.

    Complications

    • For some people, pain lingers after the rash of shingles has gone away; this is a condition known as postherpetic neuralgia. According to the American Academy of Family Physicians, this is the most common complication of shingles.

    Others

    • Other serious complications of shingles may include, according to the Mayo Clinic: vision loss, problems with hearing and balance, swelling of the brain and paralysis of the muscles of the face.

    Fatalities

    • According to one study, conducted by Angel Gil, et al., of Rey Juan Carlos University, the shingles fatality rate is 4.6 percent and the risk of death increases with age.

    Risk Factors

    • Shingles is a condition which affects mostly older people and people with weakened immune systems. These groups are more vulnerable to fatality from infection than other groups.

    Prevention/Solution

    • According to the AAFP, treatment with antiviral medications and corticosteroids may reduce the risk of disease complications. There is also a shingles vaccine available, which the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recommends for use in adults over the age of 60.

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