( Thought you were done with the chickenp...)Americans in Dark About Shingles,Health

Thought you were done with the chickenpox as a kid? Think again. Shingles, a disease caused by the same virus as chickenpox, affects roughly one million //Americans each year. As people age, their risk of getting shingles increases but despite its incidence many people are completely unaware of the disease.

“People don’t really know about shingles unless they know someone who has had shingles, or they develop it themselves,” said Stephen Tyring M.D., professor of medicine at the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.

The results of a recent national survey by the American Pain Foundation support Trying’s position. The survey revealed that many older adults were not aware of their risk for the disease. More than half of the respondents who reported having heard of shingles were not sure of the risk factors. And many respondents were unaware of the relationship between chickenpox and shingles.

After a person gets the chickenpox, most often during childhood, the inactivated virus can live on in certain nerve cells in the body. In healthy people, the body’s immune system usually keeps the virus at bay. As people age or their immune system becomes compromised, the virus can reactivate and result in shingles.

The risk of shingles increases with age. “With each decade, a person’s immunity weakens, so that by 60 years of age, the likelihood of shingles significantly increases,” says Tyring. “In fact, one out of two people who live to the age of 85 will have had shingles.” And although seniors are at higher risk, shingles can affect people of all ages.

The first signs of shingles may not be visually noticeable. People often experience tingling, burning, itching or pain. During the first few days of symptoms, fluid-filled blisters will break out in a rash, usually on one side of the body or face. The rash is often painful and will heal in two to four weeks, in most people. However, some people experience
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