What You Should Know About Shingles Recurrence

Shingles is a painful condition caused by the varicella-zoster virus. It typically occurs after you've had chickenpox (frequently as a child), but until we average 50 years old, the virus may remain inactive inside the body’s cells. When it surfaces, the virus forms a rash and can also trigger a myriad of complications. The worst part? It can come back. Learn how to protect yourself.

How Can You Tell if It's Shingles?

Shingles may manifest in different ways with each recurrence which makes it tricky to know what's going on. Here are some common signs:

• Severe itching and burning of the skin. 
• Fluid-filled blisters, similar to chickenpox. 
• Pain, numbness and tingling.
• Extreme sensitivity to touch.
• Headache and fever. 
• Deep, red rash occurring after the pain. 

Experiencing one or more of these symptoms could indicate shingles. Seeking medical care right away is essential to determe an accurate diagnosis and seek care to prevent infection and complications. This is especially true in the elderly. 

How Often Can Shingles Reoccur?

Those aged 50 and older who had chickenpox when they were children are most at risk of developing shingles. Anyone can get it, however, including children and young adults—so don't dismiss symptoms if the person isn't over 50 yet. A recurrence of shingles can happen anywhere from 96 days to 10 years after an initial shingles outbreak, too, according to Healthline. So having it once doesn't offer protection from further outbreaks.

Risk Factors for Shingles Recurrence

There are many risk factors that might trigger a shingles outbreak or a recurrence. Some of these are surprising and include:

• Being an organ transplant recipient
• Having a weakened immune system due to some other cause
• Being over age 50
• Being female
• Having severe pain with the initial onset of a prior shingles outbreak may indicate a likelihood for a recurrence at another time

If you have blood family members who have had shingles, this may increase your risk, too. 

How to Prevent Shingles

The primary goal is to prevent shingles in the first place because believe us, this is not something anyone wants to deal with. If you're not vaccine-averse, it helps to know that there is a shingles vaccine that's proven effective. It might be a good strategy for prevention if you're at risk—or at least worth a discussion with the doctor. For those over 50, the CDC recommends Shingrix to help prevent shingles and the complications associated with the disease. As always, research helps.

How Is Shingles Treated?

Generally speaking, most doctors will recommend a series of antiviral medications to try to bring the virus under control and alleviate symptoms. Options include:

• Valacyclovir
• Famciclovir
• Acyclovir

These meds can be used with over-the-counter anti-inflammatories and creams to help soothe affected skin. Pain relievers may also come into play if the pain is particularly unbearable. (And it can be!) 

Shingles can be an excruciating, bothersome condition to have and what's worse is that symptoms can persist for months, but it is treatable and there are options for prevention if it's of particular concern. Working through the pain and rash is the hardest part. Taking care of yourself and reducing stress may make it more manageable. But of course, as with most things, prevention is key and early detection is paramount to help ensure treatment success.

Copyright 2020, Wellness.com