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Shingles Skin Disease

Shingles is a condition that affects the skin along the path of a nerve affected by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). It causes rash and pain and can develop into a chronic painful condition.

  1. Cause

    • After you've had chickenpox, the virus goes inactive in a nerve cell. It causes shingles if it reactivates, years or decades later. If you've never had chickenpox, you can't get shingles.

    Risk Factors

    • It is unknown what causes VZV to become active again. The Mayo Clinic reports that known risk factors include a weakened immune system and age, as most cases occur in people over 50.

    Symptoms

    • The skin along the path of the nerve in which the virus is active becomes painful, and a blistery red rash develops. Other symptoms include fever, chills and fatigue.

    Treatment

    • Antiviral drugs to target the virus, painkillers and topical agents to numb the skin are treatments for shingles.

    Complications

    • One painful complication of shingles is postherpetic neuralgia, which occurs after the rash is gone. According to the Mayo Clinic, additional treatments, including the use tricyclic antidepressants and anticonvulsant medications, may be necessary. Hearing, vision and balance problems are also possible.

    Prevention

    • The shingles vaccine is not a guarantee that you won't get shingles, but it can make the condition less severe, says the Mayo Clinic.

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