Shingles, it occurs in most commonly in people over the age of 60. This year alone in the US, there will be 1,000,000 new cases. Shingles is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus.
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"As a child you get chicken pox and that virus never goes way, it lives in the spinal cord. Throughout your life, it can appear, it travels throughout the nerve endings and breaks out on the skin that is what you call shingles," said Dr. Eric Schnakenberg.
You can have a break out anywhere on your body.
"Early signs, may include no visible rash but patients can experience a burning pain, or red patchy areas on the skin that may itch," said the doctor .
The shingles rash begins as small blisters on a red base, with new blisters continuing to form for three to five days.
The duration of the outbreak may take three to four weeks from start to finish. On occasion, the pain will be present but the blisters may never appear.
"Because it breakouts through the skin and travels through the nerve endings, it's the nerve endings that have all the problems. It can be very mild or it can be itchy or severe and very painful. The problem with shingle in adults, those nerve can remain damaged and painful for weeks months, after the an outbreak of shingles," said Schnakenberg.
While shingles is not contagious, it can cause an outbreak of the chicken pox virus to those who've never had it.
"If you touch an area of shingles skin and you never had chicken pox, you can come down with chicken pox from that. A common scenario would be a elderly grandparent who gets shingles is holding a small infant grandchild, that infant child has not had chicken pox exposure, they can get chicken pox from the grand parent," Schnakenberg said.
According to Dr. Eric Schnakenberg, there is relief. There is anti-viral medication that can cut down the length of the disease was well as potential damage to any nerves. What is critically important is when you take this medication it has to be taken days within the outbreak.
You can get shingles again and again but each time, the outbreak will be likely be less severe. In 2006 FDA approved a vaccine for shingles. Adults over the age of 60, who have already had chicken pox are candidates for the Zostavax vaccine, ask your doctor for more information.