Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, can occur in people who have previously had chickenpox. Both are caused by the varicella zoster virus.¹ This stays dormant in the body after the initial infection and can become active again years later and cause shingles.¹ It is estimated that about 2 out of 10 people who have had chickenpox will develop shingles at some point in their lives.² Most people who get shingles are over 50, with the risk increasing with age as the immune system gradually weakens. Most adults only get shingles once in their life.¹

Shingles is contagious for people who have never had chickenpox, in whom it then causes chickenpox. The disease may start with a feeling of fatigue and a mild fever. The typical symptoms start two to three days later: a burning or stinging pain, slightly reddish patches of skin with small bumps which then turn into small, very itchy blisters. These blisters then form scabs. In herpes zoster the blisters typically spread out to form a band, mostly on only one side of the body around the skin associated with the nerve affected. This frequently affects the torso or chest, but can sometime affect the head. In most cases the disease lasts two to four weeks and clears up without complications. A potential complication may be post-herpetic neuralgia where quite severe pain occurs as a result of a nerve inflammation due to the shingles. This can last for several weeks, months or even years after the skin lesions have healed. For people with a weakened immune system shingles can be life-threatening if the blisters spread to adjacent areas of the skin or the entire body. ^1,2

Therapy should be started as soon as possible to improve the outcome. Antiviral treatment may be initiated by the doctor in conjunction with thorough skin care. Additional pain relief can be administered for severe pain. A shingles vaccination using inactivated vaccine has been recommended as a standard vaccination for people aged 50 and older for some time.^1,2

Sources:

¹ RKI - Varizellen - Gürtelrose (Herpes zoster): Antworten auf häufig gestellte Fragen zu Erkrankung und Impfung (Last accessed: 18.01.2024)

² Gürtelrose | Gesundheitsinformation.de (Last accessed: 18.01.2024)