Shingles

From Health Encyclopedia

Contents 1 Used for 2 Broader Terms 3 Related Terms 4 Scope Note 5 Facts

Used for

herpes zona, herpes zoster, postherpetic neuralgia

Broader Terms

Herpesviridae disease

Related Terms

varicella zoster virus

Scope Note

acute infectious, usually self-limited, disease believed to represent activation of latent varicella zoster virus in those who have been rendered partially immune after a previous attack of chickenpox; it involves the sensory ganglia and their areas of innervation and is characterized by severe neuralgic pain along the distribution of the affected nerve and crops of clustered vesicles over the area.

Facts

• Shingles is a painful blistering rash caused by reactivation of varicella, the chickenpox virus.
• Shingles is also called herpes zoster.
• Shingles is more common after the age of 50 and the risk increases with advancing age.
• The biggest problem with shingles is the pain (referred to medically as post-herpetic neuralgia), which can persist for weeks, months, or even years after the rash heals.

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