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What Causes Shingles?

Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.

• If you've had chickenpox (approximately 95% of adult Canadians have), the virus remains in your body and can cause shingles.
• The chickenpox virus stays inactive in certain nerves.
• If the virus becomes active again, usually later in life, it causes the painful disease called shingles.

How Do You Get Shingles?

You are at risk for getting shingles if you have had chickenpox. In addition:

• Conditions that weaken the body’s immune (defense) system, such as aging, cancer, or certain drugs, increase the chance that the virus will become active again, resulting in shingles.
• You should know that there is no way to predict who will get shingles, or when.
• >2/3 of cases occur in people >50 years of age.
• As many as 1 out of 2 people living to at least age 85 will have shingles.
• The older you get, the longer the shingles rash may last.

Key Facts About Shingles

Shingles, also called herpes zoster (HZ), can be a painful disease that can affect anyone who has had chickenpox.

• It can start at any time, without warning.
• The first signs of shingles are often felt and may not be seen. These can include: itching, tingling and burning or painful feeling; a few days later a rash that evolves to fluid-filled blisters appears, usually on one side of the body or face.
• Sometimes the pain before the rash appears can be confused with other conditions and this can make shingles difficult to diagnose early on.