VZV also causes chickenpox.
If youve ever had chickenpox, VZV can remain dormant in your body and cause shingles later in life.
The primary symptom of shingles is an extremely painful, burning, and/or tingling rash.
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PHN causes severe, long-term nerve pain in the area of the original shingles rash.
However, many people who have had chickenpox werent aware of it at the time.
Over 99% of U.S. adults who were born before 1980 have had chickenpox at some point.
How Common Is Shingles?
Shingles is extremely common in the United States.
Meanwhile, rates of new shingles cases among older adults have appeared to plateau since 2008.
However, research suggests that herpes zoster is significantly less common among Black people in the United States.
Shingles by Age and Gender
Shingles is somewhat more common among females than males.
The risk of developing herpes zoster andshingles complicationsincreases significantly as you age.
About half of new shingles cases are among people aged 60 and older.
Below are the average lifetime prevalence rates of shingles among older Americans, according to a study inThe Gerontologist.
What Are the Mortality Rates for Shingles?
Shingles-related deaths are relatively rare.
Shingles is a vaccine-preventable disease.
Theshingles vaccineworks to prevent both shingles and related complications like PHN.
It is also effective in reducing the severity of the disease if shingles does occur.
In healthy individuals over the age of 50, Shingrix is more than 90% effective in preventing disease.
Chickenpox is also preventable by vaccine.
The vaccine debuted in the United States in 1995.
Other groups may also be eligible.
Summary
Shingles is a skin rash due to the varicella-zoster virus (VZV).
VZV also causes chickenpox, and anyone who has ever hadchickenpoxcan develop shingles later in life.
About a third of Americans will develop shingles at some point in their lifetime.
Herpes zoster is about 33% more common among women and about 50% less common among Black Americans.
The risk of shingles increases drastically with age.
About 50% of new shingles cases are among people aged 60 and older.
Shingles causes fewer than 100 deaths in the United States each year.
Among people who are hospitalized for herpes zoster, about one-third areimmunocompromisedor elderly.
The Shingrix vaccine is highly effective in preventing shingles and its complications.
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