What is shingles?

Answer 1

Shingles are caused by the same virus that causes chicken pox, the Herpes Zoster virus. Because viruses work by inserting themselves into a body cell, and can take on a "suspended animation" type state, the body doesn't always detect and eliminate the virus from our body. A small amount can reside silently in a nerve cell for years after we have recovered from the chicken pox. At some point, usually in mid to later adulthood, we may become immuno-challenged due to age or other disease, and the virus will wake up. It will affect the skin served by the nerve branch it has been living in, and cause a painful rash to happen on the surface of the skin all along the nerve branch where it lives. This is usually somewhere on the trunk of the body, near the midsection; but it can happen anywhere on the body. It causes the skin to form multiple tiny blisters, filled with the herpes zoster virus, which break and weep. Eventually the bodys immune system will manage to contain the outbreak, but this can take weeks to do. The doctors have a number of medications they can prescribe, from antivirals to steroids and pain killers to help hasten this along and make the person more comfortable. In the meantime, they are a walking chicken pox factory, and can give the disease to anyone who has not already had it. People who have had chicken pox before would not be in any danger of catching anything. If you have an outbreak of shingles, you are at a higher risk of a later outbreak happening again. Repeated outbreaks are usually treated by prescribing an antiviral to try to keep the virus supressed.

Answer 2

1

Answer 3

2

Answer 4

its a sort of skin rash, red in color, formed like a small bubbles connected to each other, i have shingles long time ago, it was so painful that you could not touch it at all, its similar to chickenfox but shingles is more terrible i have to take a shut everyday for almost a month or so until it disappeared completely. honestly till now i dont know how i had a shingles.

Answer 5

Caused by the same varicella-zoster virus that causes chickenpox, shingles (also called herpes zoster) most commonly occurs in older people.Pain may come first, but when the migrating virus finally reaches the skin--usually the second to the fifth day after the first symptoms--the rash tells all. The virus infects the skin cells and creates a painful, red rash that resembles chickenpox.

Answer 6

its a rash that usully grows on your skin, mostly stomach or lower areas due to stress.

shingles are also the stuff to cover or protect your roof. don't know which one you are asking about