Health Tip: Understanding Shingles
Mar. 23 -- (HealthDay News)- Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus, the same one that causes chickenpox.
Shingles, characterized by a painful, blistering rash, occurs only in people who have had chickenpox or have had the chickenpox vaccine.
After a person has chickenpox (usually as a child), the virus that causes it stays in the body. In most people, the immune system keeps the virus in check. But in some people as they age and their immune system weakens, the virus re-emerges and causes shingles.
The American Academy of Family Physicians offers additional information about shingles: