ABOUT SHINGLES
WHAT IS SHINGLES?
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful skin rash caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (the same virus that causes chickenpox).
Shingles is most common in people 50 years and older, and those with a compromised immune system. It is possible to get shingles more than once.5
A weakened immune system due to factors such as increasing age or immunocompromising conditions can increase your risk of infections including shingles. If you’re one of the approximately 99% of adults over 50 years old who have had chickenpox, the virus that causes shingles is inside your body but lies dormant.1*,7-9 Your immune system naturally weakens over time as you age, which can allow the usually inactive virus to reactivate and cause shingles – despite how healthy you may feel.1*,7-9
1 IN 3 PEOPLE will get shingles in their lifetime, and the risk increases with age.1*,2
* US data. May not be representative of global population.
WHO IS AT RISK OF GETTING SHINGLES?
No matter how healthy you feel, your immune system declines as you age, and that puts you at an increased risk for shingles – especially if you’re over 50 years old.
SHINGLES SYMPTOMS
Shingles typically produces a painful rash that can last several weeks.1 The rash usually erupts in a single stripe on either the left or right side of the body, or sometimes the face, along a nerve path. It’s most common on the chest and abdomen. Most people who get shingles experience acute pain – described by many as aching, burning, stabbing or shock-like.
Rash
BLISTER
EXTREME PAIN
In addition, some people experience complications that can lead to long-term health problems. The most common complication is post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), which involves severe pain that can last for months or even years in the area of the healed rash.6 Other possible complications include scarring, complications with vision (if the rash appears around the eye), and partial weakness/ paralysis of the areas served by affected nerves.1,6,10
