AfterShingles.com – Shingles Symptoms, Treatment and Pain Management


Print | A A A

Experts Corner

Q & A Archive

If I have had chickenpox, am I more at risk for shingles?

Yes. Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, so you can only get shingles if you have been infected by the virus1. Scientists do not know exactly what triggers a reemergence of this virus, which is called the varicella zoster virus (VZV), but research is underway to better understand it2. Staying healthy, eating a nutritious diet, exercising regularly, getting enough sleep and managing stress levels may help keep the immune system healthy, so that it can more effectively fight off shingles and potentially post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), or after-shingles pain2.

Talk to Your Doctor

Calendar

The PHN Pain Checklist and PHN Pain Management Calendar are tools you can use to help you talk about your pain with your healthcare professional.

Take the Quiz

Calendar
Do you have the facts to identify if you or your loved one suffers from shingles or postherpetic neuralgia (PHN)?

1
Cluff RS, Rowbotham MC. Pain caused by herpes zoster infection. Neurol Clin.1998; 16(4):813-832.
2
Shingles & PHN: Your Questions Answered. VZV Research Foundation, Inc. 2000: 1-12. Available at: http://vzvfoundation.org/publicdownloads/Shingles_PHN_Q&A_2000.pdf. Accessed April 6, 2009.