What Is Recurrent Shingles?

Shingles, a condition caused by infection with the varicella-zoster virus, can sometimes be recurring, meaning that the person experiences two or more outbreaks. Fortunately, the condition is treatable and there are steps people can take to protect themselves.

Cause

• Once you are infected with the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which causes both chicken pox and shingles, it never fully leaves your system. It goes dormant (becomes inactive) in nerve cells but can become reactivated, causing future outbreaks of shingles.

Risk Factors

• The people most often affected by the condition are those over the age of 50 and those whose immune system has been damaged by disease, such as HIV, or through medical treatments like chemotherapy or radiation for cancer, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Complications

• In addition to recurring outbreaks of shingles, postherpetic neuralgia, a chronic painful condition, can develop after the rash has cleared up.

Treatment

• It is important to seek medical attention as soon as possible after the development of a recurrence of shingles because, according to the Mayo Clinic, the antiviral drugs used for treatment are most effective when begun early.

Prevention

• Even in people who have already had a shingles outbreak, the shingles vaccine can reduce their chances of developing another one. Although the vaccine may not protect everyone, it lessens the symptoms of an outbreak and reduces the chances of complications, the Mayo Clinic reports.