Chickenpox, that itchy, spotty rash, is a rite of passage for many children. While you can’t contract chickenpox again, it’s possible you may develop a case of shingles, a painful rash caused by the same virus.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful rash that typically affects people older than 50. The varicella virus that causes shingles is related to but not the same as the virus that causes genital or oral herpes. Twenty percent of people who have had chickenpox will have an outbreak of shingles in their lifetime, and an estimated 500,000 people will develop shingles this year.
In the early 1900s, researchers began to realize that varicella zoster was responsible for both chickenpox and shingles. In fact, a study conducted in the 1920s and 1930s found that about half of children who had not previously had chickenpox would develop it within two weeks of being exposed to fluid from shingles blisters. In 1958, studies that analyzed the viruses from people with shingles and people with chickenpox confirmed that the virus that causes shingles and the virus that causes chickenpox are identical.
Who Gets Shingles?
Anyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of developing shingles later in life. Once you have had chickenpox, the varicella virus remains dormant in your body's nerve cells. Although the virus is in your body, your immune system usually keeps the virus inactive, and it will not cause any symptoms.
The virus can sometimes become reactivated, however, especially in those whose immune systems have been weakened. In the presence of a weak immune system, the varicella virus can escape from the nerve cells, reactivate, and lead to a shingles outbreak on the skin.
Those at higher risk are people who:
- Are 50 and older
- Have HIV infection or AIDS
- Have cancer
- Have had chemotherapy or radiation treatment
- Have had organ transplants
- Are taking certain medications, like corticosteroids
- Are under increased stress
Children whose mothers had chickenpox during late pregnancy also are at increased risk of getting shingles. These children may be born with chickenpox and may develop shingles before age 5, because their immune systems have not developed fully enough to keep the virus inactivated.
The good news is that once you have had shingles, chances are you will never develop it again.
Symptoms of Shingles
Some common symptoms of shingles include:
- A painful rash, which typically is located on only one side of your body or face and stops at the midline; most frequently on the trunk of your body
- Blistering at the rash site
- Fever and chills
- Tingling, stinging, and even burning pain, which often occur before the rash actually develops
In some cases, shingles on the face can affect the eyes, resulting in swelling, redness, pain, and possibly vision problems, which can become permanent. If shingles has reached your eyes, you should see an eye doctor immediately.
The blistering rash associated with shingles will eventually crust over and dry up, usually within 7 to 10 days. The pain associated with the rash, however, sometimes lasts a few weeks to a few months after the rash disappears, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia. Postherpetic neuralgia pain can sometimes be severe and disabling.
If you think you might have shingles, make an appointment with your doctor. You should be seen within a few days of the onset of symptoms, and the earlier the better. Your doctor can examine your rash, evaluate your symptoms, and determine if you have shingles.
If you do have shingles, there are antiviral medications that can reduce the severity and duration, and pain medications that can make you more comfortable while you heal. The sooner the antiviral medications are started, the less severe the shingles outbreak will be.