What Are The Causes Of Shingles In Adults

Shingles is a viral infection that results from the varicella zoster virus vzv the same virus that causes chickenpox.

What are the causes of shingles in adults.

Shingles or herpes zoster is a common viral infection. Your doctor may also take a tissue scraping or culture of the blisters for examination in the laboratory. The shingles virus is frighteningly patient. It typically affects a single sensory nerve ganglion and the skin surface.

First the varicella zoster virus causes chickenpox usually during childhood. Highly contagious chickenpox can result in a blistering rash that. When the varicella zoster virus gets into your body the first problem it causes is chickenpox. Older adults and individuals with a weakened immune system are at greatest risk for developing shingles.

It s caused by reactivation of the virus that causes chickenpox. Varicella zoster is part of a group of viruses called herpes viruses which includes the viruses that cause cold sores and genital herpes. You may think of it as a childhood disease but adults can get it too. Shingles is known as a disease that mainly strikes older adults because the varicella zoster virus that causes it often emerges from its slumber late in life.

The rash usually appears on one side of the body. Ideally health care providers are hoping to prevent adults from ever getting shingles and ultimately shingles related complications such as vision loss neurological problems skin infections. Shingles symptoms and signs include. It causes a large painful rash with blisters.

Varicella is the same virus. Shingles is more common in older adults and in people who have weakened immune systems. Shingles is usually diagnosed based on the history of pain on one side of your body along with the telltale rash and blisters.