News that Harrison Ford withdrew from the 2025 Oscars ceremony due to a diagnosis of shingles has brought attention to this common, often painful, condition.
Usually thought of as a childhood disease, chickenpox can have lasting effects well into adulthood because the virus remains inactive in the body even after recovery. Years after you have had chickenpox, the virus can reappear in the form of shingles.
One in three Americans will experience shingles in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. There is no cure for shingles, but there are a variety of treatment options that can make symptoms less serious.
“Shingles typically presents as a band or strip, it’s described as a blistering rash and it can be quite painful,” said Haris Uzair, an internal medicine physician with Lutheran Health Physicians. “The rash lasts two to four weeks, but some people still experience pain after the rash goes away.”
Adults over the age of 50 are at risk of developing shingles, but the disease can appear in younger individuals who have had chickenpox. Other risk factors include having other diseases such as HIV/AIDS, having undergone radiation or chemotherapy, and taking certain medications.
The first symptom of shingles is pain, which, depending on the location, can sometimes be mistaken for other issues. A rash appears typically after the pain, but some experience the discomfort of shingles without a rash. Other signs of shingles include:
- Burning, numbness or tingling
- Sensitivity to touch
- Fluid-filled blisters
- Itching
- Fever
- Headache
- Sensitivity to light
- Fatigue
Visit a physician promptly if you have symptoms of shingles, especially if you experience pain or rash around the eye, you are 70 years or older, you or someone in your family has a weakened immune system or the rash is widespread and painful.
For people who have had chickenpox, shingles is not contagious. However, someone who has not had chickenpox and who has direct contact with the shingles rash could contract chickenpox, not shingles. Chickenpox can be very dangerous for anyone with a weak immune system, newborns and pregnant women, so if you have shingles do not come into physical contact with these people. When your blisters scab over you are not usually contagious any longer.
“There is no cure for shingles, we do have antiviral medications we can prescribe to reduce the number of days people have the rash. Your physician may also prescribe creams or painkillers,” said Uzair. “If you are 50 or older and have had the chickenpox virus it is recommended that you receive the shingles vaccine to help prevent contracting the disease.”
Some people experience complications from shingles if they do not receive the right treatment. Shingles around the eye can cause painful infections and vision loss. The disease can also damage nerve fibers causing pain even after the disease is gone. If shingles blisters are not treated properly they can become infected.
Talk to your primary care or family physician immediately if you suspect shingles.
–Lutheran Health Network report
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