Shingles

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster or zona, is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in... Wikipedia

• Specialty:  Dermatology
• Symptoms:  Painful rash
• Duration:  2–4 weeks
• Causes:  Varicella zoster virus (VZV)
• Risk factors:  Old age, poor immune function, having had chickenpox before 18 months of age
• Diagnostic method:  Based on symptoms
• Differential diagnosis:  Herpes simplex, chest pain, insect bites, cutaneous leishmaniasis
• Prevention:  Shingles vaccine, chickenpox vaccine (before the child gets chickenpox)
• Medication:  Aciclovir (if given early), pain medication
• Frequency:  33% (at some point)
• Deaths:  6,400 per year (including chickenpox deaths)
• Data source:  DuckDuckGo