Shingles

Shingles Slideshow

• Shingles Overview
• Shingles Causes
• Shingles Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Exams and Tests
• Shingles Treatment
• Self-Care at Home
• Medications
• Next Steps
• Follow-up
• Prevention
• Outlook
• Synonyms and Keywords
• References
• Authors and Editors
• Pictures of Shingles - Slideshow
• Related shingles articles:
  Shingles - on WebMD
  Shingles (Herpes Zoster) - on MedicineNet

Shingles Overview

Shingles is a reactivation of the herpes zoster virus (varicella-zoster virus, or VZV). This same virus causes the childhood illness chickenpox. The chickenpox virus (varicella) remains in a dormant state in the body in the root of nerves that control sensation. In about 1 out of 5 people, the virus "wakes up," often many years after the chickenpox infection. The virus then travels along a sensory nerve into the skin causing a painful rash known as shingles.

• Shingles is derived from the Latin and French words for belt or girdle, reflecting distribution of the rash in a broad band. This band is usually only on one side of the body and represents a dermatome—the area that a single sensory nerve supplies in the skin.

• Anyone who has had the chickenpox infection or vaccine can get the herpes zoster virus that causes shingles. Older people and those with cancer, HIV, or organ transplants have a decreased ability to fight off infection and a greater chance of getting shingles.

• The majority of people with shingles, however, are healthy. No special tests need to be done to see if your immune system is strong.