Very rarely, a shingles infection can lead to pneumonia, hearing problems, blindness, swelling of the brain encephalitis , or death. As people get older, the chance of getting shingles goes up. The main symptom of shingles is pain, which can be severe. About one in five people experience severe pain that continues even after the rash clears up. Other symptoms of shingles can include:. The most common complication of shingles is a condition called postherpetic neuralgia PHN.
People are diagnosed with PHN if they have severe pain for at least 90 days after the shingles rash has cleared up. The pain can lead to a lower quality of life for many people. As people get older, they are more likely to develop PHN, and the pain is more likely to be severe.
However, a person who has never had chickenpox or received the chickenpox vaccine could get chickenpox from someone with shingles if they come in direct contact with the fluid from the rash blisters caused by shingles. This, however, is not very common. A person is not infectious before the blisters appear or once the rash has developed crusts. Simply covering the rash will help to stop the spread of the virus to someone who is vulnerable to chickenpox.
About 98 percent of adults have had chickenpox and are at risk for shingles. In the United States, at least 1 million people get shingles each year. Shingles is far more common in people age 50 and older than in younger people. About half , of shingles cases occur in people age 60 or older.
Fact: There are safe, effective vaccines available to help prevent shingles. Vaccination is the best way to reduce your chance of developing shingles. If you do get shingles, the vaccine can reduce your chances of long-lasting pain. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends that healthy adults age 50 years and older get two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine RZV to protect against shingles and the complications caused by the disease.
Talk with your healthcare professional if you have questions about shingles vaccination. Together, transforming the experience of aging.
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Keep Reading. People get shingles when the varicella zoster virus, which causes chickenpox, reactivates in their bodies after they have already had chickenpox.
Shingles is caused by varicella zoster virus VZV , the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant inactive in their body. The virus can reactivate later, causing shingles. Most people who develop shingles have only one episode during their lifetime. However, you can have shingles more than once.
If you have shingles, direct contact with the fluid from your rash blisters can spread VZV to people who have never had chickenpox or never received the chickenpox vaccine. If they get infected, they will develop chickenpox, not shingles.
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