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Can Shingles Cause Nerve Damage?

October 31, 2018 by Will Sowards 7 Comments

One long term symptom of shingles may include nerve damage.

When you picture harmful infections, shingles is probably not the first one that comes to mind.

Yet, while the illness may seem to “just” cause an irritating rash, pain, itching and tingling, it can also cause permanent damage. Some patients may even deal with constant pain for years after infection.

Considering almost one in every three people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime, understanding how it works is necessary for millions.

What is Shingles? How Do You Get it?

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is an infection of the nerve roots caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV).

You may have already heard of varicella-zoster since it is the virus that causes chickenpox. It’s important to note that this is not a coincidence: shingles is not “caught” like many viral infections. Instead, VZV lies dormant in the body after someone gets chickenpox or the chickenpox vaccine.

At some point, the dormant virus can reactivate and lead to shingles.

Scientists aren’t currently sure why or how VZV suddenly causes problems. What we do know is that people with weakened immune systems are at greater risk.

Because of this, seniors are more likely to experience shingles. Other groups with a higher risk include those with medical conditions which negatively impact their immune systems and those who receive immunosuppressive drugs.

People cannot spread shingles itself, though they can spread varicella-zoster through direct contact with fluid from the shingles rash blisters.

Why is Shingles Bad?

Shingles is not fun for anyone, but its negative impact can be significantly worse for some.

The General Experience: Herpes zoster causes a distressing rash that typically occurs in a stripe around the left or right side of the body. This will last for weeks with pain, tingling and itchiness. Medical News Today describes the pain as being “a constant dull, burning, or gnawing pain, or sharp, stabbing pain that comes and goes.”

In rare cases the rash may not be limited to a single stripe and will instead appear more like a widespread chickenpox rash.

Other symptoms can include fever, headache, chills and an upset stomach.

While having one episode of the shingles rash is common, multiple episodes can happen over time in some cases.

Lasting Nerve Damage: WebMD reports that up to 50 percent of those over age 60 who haven’t been treated for their shingles will develop postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). The CDC states that approximately 10 to 13 percent of people who get shingles will experience PHN. PHN occurs when the varicella-zoster virus damages the nerves.

Those with postherpetic neuralgia experience mild to devastating pain when touched. The pain can be very mild or be devastating depending on the specific case. PHN can cause issues for patients for a few months, years or even for the rest of their lives.

Other Possible Complications: Some patients may experience a shingles rash on the face, which can affect the eye and cause loss of vision. While extremely rare, herpes zoster can also cause blindness, pneumonia, hearing issues, brain inflammation or even death.

What Should I do to Avoid/Deal with Shingles?

With about one million cases of shingles in the U.S. every year, effective prevention and treatment methods are highly valuable.

  • The only way to reduce the risk of developing shingles and PHN is get vaccinated against. Two doses of the shingles vaccine is recommended for healthy adults 50 years of age and older. You can visit your local Passport Health clinic for the necessary series of vaccinations. Remember, the shingles shot is different from the chickenpox immunization.
  • If you are sick with a bout of shingles and wish to avoid spreading the varicella-zoster virus to others, follow CDC guidelines. Cover the rash, wash your hands often, avoid touching the rash and avoid interaction with people at particular risk. To learn more about how contagious herpes zoster is, you can read more here.
  • Antiviral medicines can help treat shingles, and they should be taken as soon as possible. To soothe the herpes zoster rash, try wet compresses, calamine lotion, colloidal oatmeal baths and pain medication.

Did you know that shingles could have so many painful effects? Does someone you know deal with the illness? Will you be getting a shingles vaccine to prevent herpes zoster? Let us know in the comments below, or via Facebook and Twitter.

Written for Passport Health by Katherine Meikle. Katherine is a freelance writer and proud first-generation British-American living in Florida, where she was born and raised. She has a passion for travel and a love of writing, which go hand-in-hand.

Filed Under: General Posts

Comments

  1. Janice Campbell says

    February 25, 2019 at 9:16 am

    I had shingles about 3 years ago. It went over my left eye and also on the whole of the top half of my body. It also crossed the “centre line” which I believe it does not usually do. I did not seek treatment immediately but when I did, I was fortunate to stop any more damage to the eye area. I also received the shingles vaccination when it was safe to do so. Strangely enough, I do not remember having chicken pox as a child. I still suffer from unbelievable itching over my forehead and scalp. I take Gabapentin which eases the symptoms but does not stop it. Nothing the doctor has tried helps. Two years later I developed Balls Palsy on the opposite side which also had some lasting facial paralysis. I would urge anyone to get the vaccination as this is not a disease you want to deal with.

    Reply
  2. Stephanie A Arevalos says

    November 9, 2019 at 2:41 pm

    A friend of mine has she had shingles after the shingles she ended up having a devastating effect of nerve damage she can’t really feel most of her arm she can still feel pain though from the singles so is there any treatment for that

    Reply
    • mitra says

      June 9, 2022 at 1:26 am

      I had shingles 4 months ago i’m still having pain

      Reply
  3. Samantha says

    February 2, 2020 at 3:26 pm

    I got shingles on my right eye and forehead and my scalp. A year later my forehead and scalp sometimes have a cold sensation on them . Medication only works so much.

    Reply
  4. Dr. David Greene says

    July 16, 2020 at 5:15 am

    Shingles are irritable, painful and worse, or I will say it is the last thing one would want. More about it can cause nerve damage.

    Reply
  5. Dr. David Greene says

    July 23, 2020 at 7:26 am

    Shingles can do a lot harm than one would think, and they say individuals who had chickenpox virus have more chances of getting shingles at later age.

    Reply
  6. Amal Pinick says

    September 20, 2020 at 9:44 pm

    Howdy! I’m at work surfing around your blog from my new iphone! Just wanted to say I love reading your blog and look forward to all your posts! Keep up the superb work!

    Reply

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