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Shingles is probably not on David Letterman's Top 10
favorite list. He was absent from his late-night talk show
for several weeks recovering from shingles. Letterman is not
unique. Each year more than one million Americans are
afflicted with shingles.
If you've ever had chicken pox, you may suffer from
shingles or herpes zoster. "Shingles is caused by the
chickenpox virus that remains in the nerve roots of all
people who have ever had chicken pox," says Patricia
Winokur, M.D., UI Health Care infectious diseases
specialist. "It may remain dormant for many years, only to
rear its ugly head to cause the itchy and painful rash
associated with shingles."
The first symptom of shingles is a burning pain,
tingling, numbness, or itching. Symptoms are generally
limited to a small area of the body--a small strip of skin
on one side of the chest, abdomen, or face where groups of
blisters have formed. The pain can be quite severe. Symptoms
generally last two to three weeks and cause no long-term
problems in most patients. However, 25 to 50 percent of
people over age 50 can have a debilitating pain that can
last more than one month.
"Anyone with shingles and eye irritation or lesions
around the eyes should seek immediate medical care," says
Winokur, "since shingles can lead to severe eye disease."
If you think you have shingles, contact your physician or
call UI Health
Access at 319-384-8442, ext. 703, or 800-777-8442, ext.
703, to contact a UI
Family Care physician.
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For more information:
Listed above are several Web sites that offer additional information on
this topic. University of Iowa Health Care does not sponsor or endorse these
sites, or guarantee the accuracy of the information contained on these sites.
These links are here for general information only, and should not be used
for personal diagnosis or treatment. If you have any questions, please contact
UI Health Access.
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