Treatments For Other Problems Caused By Shingles
In some cases, shingles causes long-term problems. Treatment depends on what the problem is.
- Disseminated zoster. This is a blistery rash over a large portion of the body. It may affect the heart, lungs, liver, pancreas, joints, and intestinal tract. Treatment is done in the hospital. It may include antiviral medicines to prevent the virus from multiplying and antibiotics to stop infection.
- Herpes zoster ophthalmicus. This is a rash on the forehead, cheek, nose, and around one eye. It could threaten your sight. Get treatment from an ophthalmologist right away. Treatment may include antiviral medicines and steroid eye drops.
- If the shingles virus affects the nerves that begin in the brain , serious problems involving the face, eyes, nose, and brain can occur. Treatment depends on what the problem is and where it is.
I’m Pregnant And Have Recently Been Exposed To Someone With Chickenpox How Will This Exposure Affect Me Or My Pregnancy
- Susceptible pregnant women are at risk for associated complications when they contract varicella. Varicella infection causes severe illness in pregnant women, and 10%-20% of those infected develop varicella pneumonia, with mortality reported as high as 40%.
- Because of these risks, pregnant women without evidence of immunity to varicella who have been exposed to the virus may be given varicella-zoster immune globulin to reduce their risk of disease complications.
- If you are pregnant and have never had chickenpox, and you get chickenpox during the:
- First half of your pregnancy, there is a very slight risk for birth defects or miscarriage.
- Second half of your pregnancy, the baby may have infection without having any symptoms and then get shingles later in life.
- Newborns whose mothers develop varicella rash from 5 days before to 2 days after delivery are at risk for neonatal varicella, associated with mortality as high as 30%. These infants should receive preventive treatment with varicella-zoster immune globulin .
Preventing The Virus Spreading
If you have the shingles rash, do not share towels or flannels, go swimming, or play contact sports. This will help prevent the virus being passed on to someone who has not had chickenpox.
You should also avoid work or school if your rash is weeping and cannot be covered.
Chickenpox can be particularly dangerous for certain groups of people. If you have shingles, avoid:
- women who are pregnant and have not had chickenpox before as they could catch it from you, which may harm their unborn baby
- people who have a weak immune system, such as someone with HIV or AIDS
- babies less than one month old, unless it is your own baby, in which case your baby should have antibodies to protect them from the virus
Once your blisters have dried and scabbed over, you are no longer contagious and will not need to avoid anyone.
Recommended Reading: Can I See Pictures Of Shingles
What Are The Risks Of Shingles
About one in five people who get shingles will have severe pain after the rash goes away. This pain can last months or even years. This pain is known as post-herpetic neuralgia.
Rare complications of shingles include scarring, pneumonia, loss of hearing or vision, swelling of the brain and bacterial superinfections of the rash.
What Is The Outlook For People With Recurring Shingles
Shingles usually clears up within two to six weeks.
In a small number of cases, the pain can remain once the rash has healed. This is called postherpetic neuralgia . Up to 2 percent of people who get shingles have PHN for five years or more. The risk increases with age.
Recurring shingles isnt preventable. You can reduce your risk by getting the shingles vaccine, even after youve had shingles.
A showed that people who had the shingles vaccine had 51 percent fewer cases of shingles. For people 50-59 years old, the shingles vaccine reduced the risk of shingles by 69.8 percent.
People who received the shingles vaccine generally had less severe cases of shingles. They also had
Also Check: Mobile Homes For Sale In Shingle Springs
What Are The Complications Of Shingles
After the shingles rash has disappeared, you might continue to have nerve pain in that same area. Postherpetic neuralgia can last for months or years and become quite severe.
More than 10% of people who get shingles develop postherpetic neuralgia. Researchers dont know why some people get postherpetic neuralgia and others dont. It may be that nerves become more sensitive or that the virus may be invading and damaging the central nervous system.
Other complications include:
- Other types of nerve issues like numbness or itching.
- A bacterial infection of the shingles rash.
- Eye and ear inflammation if the rash is near these organs.
Is There A Way I Can Keep From Being Infected With Chickenpox
Yes, make sure all your vaccines are up to date, especially if you are planning a pregnancy. Vaccination is the best way to protect yourself and those you love. If you are not immune, you should be vaccinated. You will receive two doses of varicella vaccine one month apart. You should avoid becoming pregnant for at least one month after the last vaccination. Varicella vaccine should not be given to pregnant women. If you are pregnant, have your healthcare provider give you the varicella vaccine after your baby is delivered.
Recommended Reading: Humana Part D Coverage For Shingles Vaccine
Can You Still Develop Shingles If Youve Been Vaccinated For Chickenpox
Yes. Despite being vaccinated for chickenpox, you can still get shingles. No vaccine is 100% protective, and the effectiveness of vaccines lessens with time. However, people who get the chickenpox vaccine are significantly less likely to develop shingles later in life compared with people who never received the chickenpox vaccine. One recent 12-year study found that the number of shingles cases was 72% lower in children who had received the chickenpox vaccine compared with those who didnt.
Do You Always Get The Typical Rash If You Have Shingles
Occasionally, some people dont get a rash. If you have any of the other symptoms of shingles , see your healthcare provider sooner rather than later. There are effective treatments you can take early for shingles. Even if you dont have shingles, seeing your healthcare provider will help you get your condition diagnosed and treated.
Recommended Reading: What Does Shingles Look Like
How To Get The Shingles Vaccine
NHS Lothian will contact you when you are eligible to be immunised, however, delivery of Covid and Flu vaccines are being prioritised. You can get the vaccine at any time of the year. If you have not been invited for a vaccine by the end of March 2023, and think you should have, please contact the NHS Lothian vaccination helpline on 0300 790 6296 or email them at: .
How Long Between Shingles Attack And Recurrence
The time between an initial shingles case and its relapse can vary a great deal, and there is no established figure. However, researchers have noted most of these flare-ups arise in the four- to eight-year window following an initial attack. Recurrence within three years is much rarer.
Factors such as overall health status and the presence of other diseases can spur attacks, and there are preventative medications and approaches.
Recommended Reading: What Are Shingles Made Of
Shingles Recurs More Often Than Thought
Recurrences Are More Likely in Those Who Have More Than 2 Months of Shingles Pain
The risk of getting shingles again, once you already have it, is about one in three, says Barbara Yawn, MD, director of research at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. Thats about the same chance of getting shingles once in your lifetime.
People who suffer pain for 60 or more days after their shingles attack are nearly five times more likely to suffer a recurrence, Moore says.
The research was presented at the annual meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America .
Also known as herpes zoster, shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus the same virus that causes chickenpox.
In many people, the virus remains dormant in the nerves. But in some, especially older people and those with compromised immune systems, it can reactivate as shingles.
We dont know what causes reactivation of the dormant virus, Moore says.
The reawakened virus initially causes numbness, itching, severe pain, and even fever, headaches, and chills, followed by the blistering rash characteristic of shingles. The skin rash usually occurs within three to five days after symptoms begin.
Shingles can result in persistent pain lasting for months and even years after the rash has gone away.
But unless someone has a compromised immune system, we didnt think they would actually have a recurrent attack, Moore says.
Recommended Reading: How Long After Shingles Vaccine Do Side Effects Begin
Do You Need To Stay Away From Children People Who Are Pregnant Have Cancer Or Anyone With A Weak Immune System After You Get The Zostavax Vaccine
According to the CDC, its safe to be around babies and young children, pregnant women or anyone with a weakened immune system after you get the Zostavax vaccine. Even though the Zostavax vaccine contains a weakened live varicella-zoster virus, the CDC says theres no documented case of a person getting chickenpox from someone who has received the Zostavax vaccine. And remember: You cant get shingles unless youve already had chickenpox.
Don’t Miss: What Does The Beginning Of Shingles Feel Like
Short Term Chances Of Getting Shingles Once Again
Another study was conducted to figure out the short term chances of getting shingles again and it was found that the chances are very low. People of all age groups were included in the study and it was found that only 1% people got shingles again within 3 years of the occurrence of the first episode of shingles.
What Everyone Should Know About The Shingles Vaccine
Shingles vaccination is the only way to protect against shingles and postherpetic neuralgia , the most common complication from shingles.
CDC recommends that adults 50 years and older get two doses of the shingles vaccine called Shingrix to prevent shingles and the complications from the disease. Adults 19 years and older who have weakened immune systems because of disease or therapy should also get two doses of Shingrix, as they have a higher risk of getting shingles and related complications.
Your doctor or pharmacist can give you Shingrix as a shot in your upper arm.
Shingrix provides strong protection against shingles and PHN. In adults 50 years and older who have healthy immune systems, Shingrix is more than 90% effective at preventing shingles and PHN. Immunity stays strong for at least the first 7 years after vaccination. In adults with weakened immune systems, studies show that Shingrix is 68%-91% effective in preventing shingles, depending on the condition that affects the immune system.
Also Check: What Foods Should You Avoid With Shingles
How Can I Prevent Getting Shingles
Prevent your children from getting shingles later in life by getting them immunized with the chickenpox vaccine. As an adult the best way to not get shingles is to get the shingles vaccine. The shingles vaccine is safe. It is much safer to get the vaccine than to get the disease. When you get immunized with the shingles vaccine you help protect others from chicken pox.
People with shingles can prevent spreading the virus by covering their rash, not touching or scratching the rash and washing their hands often.
Does Shingles Recur In The Same Place
Shingles normally happens at a different site during the second encounter. During shingles, the rashes normally occur on the face or torso region. So as a simple rule, if the rashes occurred on the left side of the body during the first encounter, the second time it will happen on the right side of the body be it your neck, face, chest or back.
Recommended Reading: Owens Corning Trudefinition Duration Shingles
How Do You Get Chickenpox
Chickenpox is a highly contagious disease that transmits easily from person to person. Breathing the air a person with chickenpox exhales, coughs, or sneezes can expose you to it. Chickenpox can also spread through contact with the fluid in the rash blisters.
If you have chickenpox, youll be infectious for about two days before the rash develops. Youll stay infectious until the blisters fully crust over.
You can contract chickenpox through contact with a person who actively has it, such as by:
- being in the room with them for at least 15 minutes
- touching their blisters
- touching items that have been recently contaminated with their breath or fluid from their blisters
If youre susceptible to chickenpox, its possible to contract it if you touch the rash of a person with shingles.
Are Treatments For Shingles Available
There are treatments available that can help to ease your symptoms. Shingles varies from person to person and some people will require treatment. See your GP as soon as possible, ideally within 72 hours of the rash occurring, as early treatment may help reduce the severity of your symptoms and the risk of developing complications. Your GP may prescribe painkilling medication or antiviral medication.
Recommended Reading: Is Apple Cider Vinegar Good For Shingles
Can I Get Shingles Again In My Life
Shingles is a viral infection caused by Varicella Zoster virus which results out into painful, skin rash. The skin rashes appear normally in a strip, band pattern or on a small area, on either side of the body or face. The condition is also referred to as herpes zoster.
Shingles starts with a blistering form of a rash in a small band like manner, however, if an individuals immune system is weak, the rashes may spread across on several parts of the body. Following are the symptoms that are visible during shingles:-
- Tingling, pain and itching may start as the rashes occur
- High, recurrent fever
- Frequent episodes of chills during fever
Who Is Most Likely To Get Shingles Again
You’re more likely to get it again if:
- You had severe pain from shingles that lasted more than 30 days. This is called post-herpetic neuralgia .
- You are a woman.
- You were age 50 or older when you had shingles the first time.
- Your immune system is weak from conditions like leukemia, lymphoma, or HIV, or you take medicines that suppress your immune system.
You May Like: Reactions To Second Shingles Shot
May Change Treatment Plans
The new findings may change how Bruce Hirsch, MD, approaches people with shingles. Hirsch is an infectious disease specialist at the North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y. “This study provides new information about the nature of shingles,” he says. “I am not going to give the shingles vaccine to individuals who had a recent history of shingles.”
In these cases, “the immune system can see the virus, and it is similar to getting the vaccine,” Hirsch tells WebMD.
For people who currently have shingles, early treatment with an antiviral medication can help shorten the duration of the virus, and possibly lessen the pain associated with it.
The first step is to determine why someone has shingles. “It can be a sign that immune system is weakened,” he says.
Show Sources
Is The Zostavax Vaccine Still Being Used
Yes. The CDC, however, recommends Zostavax for adults age 60 and older, but not routinely for people aged 50 to 59. Zostavax is given as a single-dose shot versus the two-dose shot for Shingrix. Zostavax is less effective than Shingrix in preventing shingles and postherpetic neuralgia .
You can consider Zostavax if you are allergic to Shingrix or if Shingrix is unavailable because of supply shortage and you want some immediate protection from a possible case of shingles and/or postherpetic neuralgia. Because its a weakened live vaccine, it may be dangerous if you have cancer, HIV, or take steroids, chemotherapy or other medications that suppress your immune system. Ask your healthcare provider if the Zostavax vaccine is an option for you.
Don’t Miss: Can Shingles Cause Breast Cancer
What Is The Treatment For Shingles And Recurring Shingles
The treatment for recurring shingles is the same as for shingles.
If you suspect that you have recurring shingles, see your doctor as soon as possible. Taking an antiviral drug like acyclovir , valacyclovir , or famciclovir can reduce the severity of shingles and reduce how long it lasts.
Your doctor may also prescribe medications to lessen your pain and help you sleep. These include the following:
- Skin patches with the painkiller lidocaine are available. You can wear them on the affected area for a specific length of time.
- Skin patches that have 8 percent capsaicin, an extract of chili peppers, are available. Some people cannot tolerate the burning sensation, even though the skin is numb before the patch is put on.
- Antiseizure drugs, such as gabapentin and pregabalin , reduce pain by reducing the nerve activity. They have side effects that may limit the amount of the drug that you can tolerate.
- Antidepressants such as duloxetine and nortriptyline can be useful, especially to relieve pain and allow you to sleep.
- Opioid painkillers can relieve pain, but they have side effects, such as dizziness and confusion, and they can become addictive.
You can also take cool baths with colloidal oatmeal to ease the itching, or apply cold compresses to the affected area. Rest and stress reduction are also important.
Who Should Get Shingrix
Adults 50 years and older should get two doses of Shingrix, separated by 2 to 6 months. Adults 19 years and older who have or will have weakened immune systems because of disease or therapy should also get two doses of Shingrix. If needed, people with weakened immune systems can get the second dose 1 to 2 months after the first.
You should get Shingrix even if in the past you:
- Received varicella vaccine
There is no maximum age for getting Shingrix.
If you had shingles in the past, Shingrix can help prevent future occurrences of the disease. There is no specific length of time that you need to wait after having shingles before you can receive Shingrix, but generally you should make sure the shingles rash has gone away before getting vaccinated.
Chickenpox and shingles are related because they are caused by the same virus . After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant in the body. It can reactivate years later and cause shingles.
Shingrix is available in doctors offices and pharmacies.
If you have questions about Shingrix, talk with your healthcare provider.
* A shingles vaccine called zoster vaccine live is no longer available for use in the United States, as of November 18, 2020. If you had Zostavax in the past, you should still get Shingrix. Talk to your healthcare provider to determine the best time to get Shingrix.
Also Check: Can You Get Shingles And Pneumonia Vaccine Together