by Maggie Wilson

Created on: July 12, 2008   Last Updated: July 16, 2008

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, the herpes zoster virus. It can cause a painful rash and make you feel very ill. Most adults have had chickenpox as children. Following chickenpox, the virus stays in your body,but is inactive. The virus lives in the nerve cells.If the immune system is weak, the virus 'wakes up' and starts reproducing in the nerve cells. The virus travels along the nerves to the nerve endings in the skin. This can cause shingles. You can't catch shingles, you can only get shingles if you've already had chickenpox.

Symptoms - The main symptom of shingles is a rash, you may also feel generally unwell, tired and have headaches.If you have the symptoms of shingles, it's important to see your doctor quickly. Treatment works best if you start taking it within three days of getting the rash. The skin may start to feel itchy, tingly and/or sore. It may feel like a burning pain which worsens if the skin is touched. After a couple of days a rash of small blisters, may appear on the waist, chest and/or head. Where the shingles appears depends on which of the nerves is affected by the herpes zoster virus. The rash can be very painful and sensitive, even the weight of clothing can make the skin hurt.The rash from shingles usually lasts about two to four weeks. The tiny blisters crust over and heal up. Sometimes they leave a scar, or change the colour of your skin.Most people don't get shingles more than once. That's because having shingles 'boosts' your immune system against the herpes zoster virus, so your immune system is able to keep it in check. Sometimes the pain doesn't go away when the rash heals. Some people get long lasting pain after shingles, this is called post-herpetic neuralgia. This pain can last for months, or even years, after the shingles attack. It happens because the nerve endings were damaged by the shingles virus. Treatments - There are several different types of anti-viral drugs. They work for shingles by stopping the virus that causes herpes (the herpes zoster virus) from reproducing. Some common anti-viral drugs (and their brand names) are: Aciclovir (Zovirax), Famciclovir (Famvir), Valaciclovir (Valtrex).In severe cases you may be admitted to hospital and given the drugs via a drip. Alternative administration is orally in tablet form.

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