Why do shingles keep coming back

Once you have had chickenpox, the virus that caused it remains inside your nerves. It is inactive, but it can be reactivated later in life. This causes shingles. When the virus reactivates, the infected nerves, and the skin the nerves go to, become inflamed, causing a burning or stabbing pain. A few days later, when the virus reaches the skin, a rash of blisters appear along the affected nerve.

The skin may be very sensitive, unable to tolerate even the lightest touch. About 1 in 10 adults who get shingles experience long-term pain, even after the rash has healed completely. This condition is called post-herpetic neuralgia PHN. It may last for months, or even years. Reactivation of varicella-zoster virus and resultant shingles happens when your immune system is weakened by medications such as cancer treatments, steroids or simply by aging.

Shingles is most common in people older than 50, and the risk of shingles continues to increase as people age. Some experts estimate that half the people who live to age 85 will experience shingles at some point in their lives. A shingles vaccine is available to help prevent the disorder and reduce the likelihood of recurrent shingles. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CDC recommends that all adults age 60 and older who have had chickenpox get the shingles vaccine.

Although people with weakened immune systems are at highest risk for developing shingles, the vaccine, unfortunately, is often not an option for them, as it is a live vaccine and hence not safe for people with weakened immune systems. If you cannot receive the shingles vaccine, the best option for dealing with recurrent shingles is to treat each episode with prescription antiviral medication and pain medication as soon as possible. If you take antivirals within 48 hours of the rash appearing, the chances that you will develop postherpetic neuralgia are much lower.

Your rash will also heal faster, and there will be less scarring and less pain associated with the rash. Create a personalised ads profile. Select personalised ads.

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Shingles is a severe skin rash caused by the herpes zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. Those affected typically only experience the condition once like chickenpox. However, in rare cases, shingles recurs. Estimates vary as to how common recurrence is. Some populations, including those that are immunocompromised, are more prone to it. Basically, when you first get infected by the herpes zoster virus, you have chickenpox; however, the virus is still present even after this disease resolves.

Shingles, and all subsequent relapses, are essentially a reactivation of virus already present in the body. The time between an initial shingles case and its relapse can vary a great deal, and there is no established figure. However, researchers have noted most of these flare-ups arise in the four- to eight-year window following an initial attack.

Recurrence within three years is much rarer. Factors such as overall health status and the presence of other diseases can spur attacks, and there are preventative medications and approaches. Having shingles more than once is comparatively rare, although some people are at a greater risk of relapse.

The chances directly relate to the overall state of the immune system, with those who are immunocompromised especially prone to relapse. The following have been identified as specific recurrence risk factors:. Initial cases of shingles arise as painful rashes that scab over within seven to 10 days, with most cases clearing up entirely within two to four weeks.

These attacks are characterized by:. Relapses are similar—arising first as a rash and then scabbing over and blistering—and are particularly characterized by pain as inflammation spreads to the skin and nerves.

Notably, one in 10 adult shingle cases—whether initial or a relapse—lead to long-term pain even after the attack resolves, a condition called post-herpetic neuralgia. Are there differences between episodes? Recurrences lead to the same class of symptoms, however the specific location of the rash will be different.

Notably, too, blistering associated with relapse can make skin particularly sensitive and painful to the touch. The approaches to treating shingles and any relapse are the same. That said, there is no outright cure for this disease, so treatment focuses on managing symptoms.