Shingles disease is basically the reactivation of herpes zoster virus or also called as VZV or varicella zoster virus and it is the same virus chickenpox which is a common childhood illness. This chickenpox virus of the varicella stays in latent state in the human body in the nerve roots which usually control sensation. In every one person out of five this virus normally wakes up probably after a number of years in the person who was affected by chickenpox. This virus then travels through the sensory nerve and into the skin to cause painful rashes.
Singles basically occurs when the virus that had previously affected the individual of chickenpox disease wakes up again in the body. The virus actually sleeps or is latent after chickenpox is cured but it is not permanently killed. However with some people the virus might stay latent forever while in others the virus could wake up when aging, stress or disease weaken their immune system. Unfortunately it is still not clear why it happens in just some people, but after the virus is active for second time it would cause shingles rather than chickenpox.
The causes of shingles diseases
One of the main causes of shingles disease is the reinfection of varicella zoster virus. The infection through this virus generally tends to occur at different stages of the individual’s life. Therefore the varicella zoster virus is known to be the main cause for shingles disease. This varicella zoster virus is actually a part of herpesvirus family which is a group of virus that includes herpes simplex virus or HSV which is responsible for causing cold sores, genital herpes or sexually transmitted diseases and fever blisters. There is also the Epstein Barr virus involved in the group that causes mononucleosis infections.
A German scientist in the year 1909, found out that the virus that causes shingles and chickenpox is actually the same virus. However during the 1920 and 1930s the main cause for the disease had been strengthened. However as part of the research children had been inoculated with fluid from the lesions of people suffering from shingles. In about 14 days nearly 50 percent of children were reported of having chickenpox disease. Later in 1958 a detailed analyses about the virus was taken from different people suffering from either shingles or chickenpox and it was confirmed that the virus was identical. Therefore if you need to understand how the same virus that causes chickenpox can also cause shingles, you should know about the reactivation of varicella zoster virus.
Reactivation of Shingles virus causes shingles diseases
After a person is affected by chickenpox disease the varicella zoster virus actually moves in the nerves system which is the place for it to settle down in inactive form. The virus lies down inside a specific nerve which relays information to the brain about what your body is sensing like weather your skin feels cold or hot or whether the skin senses touch or even pain. This nerve cell basically lies in the cluster or the ganglia, which is adjacent to the brain and the spinal cord and is also a type of sensory neuron. Therefore when you get older it is quite possible for this varicella zoster virus to become alive again.
Therefore with this taking place the shingle virus also reactivates which then moves down towards the nerves where the individual starts experiencing symptoms and signs of shingles. Some researchers are still trying to make it clear why this happens and the reason why it only happens in some people and not in everyone. Although shingles disease is observed to be quite common among people above 50 years old, if you previously suffered from chickenpox disease or had taken the chickenpox vaccine then you could be at risk of developing shingles. Moreover the disease is also found to be common among those with weak immune system due to HIV infection, radiation or chemotherapy treatment, stress and transplant operations.
There are several people who have questions whether the shingles disease is contagious or not. A simple answer is ‘NO’. Therefore when you come in contact with those infected with people suffering from shingles disease you should have no worries of being infected from the disease. Although the disease is not contagious, coming in contact with those suffering form shingles, might cause chickenpox in some people who have never had chickenpox before. However according to some studies it is shown that some people suffering from shingles could possibly pass on the varicella zoster virus to other individuals but these people would actually develop chickenpox rather than shingles. Therefore this means that a person with shingles cannot transfer shingles to another person which also means that in order for a person to develop shingles they must already harbor chickenpox virus in the nervous system.