What is Shingles - Understanding this medical condition

Aug. 22, 2010 - PRLog -- Shingles is a common medical condition which is painful and caused by the varicella-zoster virus. The virus varicella-zoster  enters your body after you get chickenpox as a child and becomes dormant. When this virus becomes active years later it causes shingles which are very painful and hard to live with. No one knows why this virus becomes active again and usually a person only suffers one attack.

You are more likely to get shingles if you are over the age of 60. If you had chickenpox before the age of 1 and your immune system is weakened. Persons that havent had chicken pox that come into contact with persons that have shingles can get chickenpox for the first time.

Prevention

Try to avoid touching the rash and blisters of persons with shingles or chickenpox if you have never had chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine.

The chickenpox vaccine may be recommended for teenagers or adults who have never had chickenpox. Medical evidence has shown that older adults who receive the vaccine are less likely to have complications from shingles.

Symptoms

The first symptom is usually one-sided pain, tingling, or burning. The pain and burning may be severe and is usually present before any rash appears.

Red patches on the skin, followed by small blisters, form in most people.


For more information regarding shingles please visit http://www.whatisshingles.org