All about shingles..... | Arthritis Information

Shingles is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster (or simply zoster) virus. This virus also Shingles is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster (or simply zoster) virus. This virus alsocauses chickenpox. Most of us get chickenpox during childhood, but after we recover the virus remains inactive (dormant) in our nervous system. Our immune system stops the virus from becoming active. However, later in life it may become reactivated, causing shingles. Shingles is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin around it.

According to Medilexicon's medical dictionary, herpes zoster (shingles) is "an infection caused by a herpes virus (varicella-zoster virus), characterized by an eruption of groups of vesicles on one side of the body following the course of a nerve due to inflammation of ganglia and dorsal nerve roots resulting from activation of the virus, which in many instances has remained latent for years following a primary chickenpox infection; the condition is self-limited but may be accompanied by or followed by severe postherpetic pain."

A study found that most Americans are in the dark regarding shingles.