- Dermatomal manifestation of prior chicken pox
- Virus lives in dorsal root ganglion, reactivates for unknown reasons
- Increasing age over 50
- Otherwise immunocompromised
- Lack of adult vaccination (to prevent Shingles)
- Children can be vaccinated to prevent primary infection (presumably will decrease risk shingles)
- Burning type pain in dermatomal region for 1-3 d prior to eruption
- Then characteristic dermatomal skin eruption, with vesicles appearing over 3-5 days
- Resolves over 2-4 weeks
- Persistent neuropathic pain can last for months (risk increases with age)
- If HIV + and low CD4, tends to persist and recur; also higher risk for more severe and disseminated disease
- Ha, confusion, neck stiffness w/meningitis or encephalitis--> rare, typically limited to immunocompromised hosts
- Vesicles, which appear in a 1-2 (adjacent) dermatomal distribution
- Doesn't typically cross mid-line of the body
- Can sometimes have bacterial supra-infection (cellulitis)
- Infection in eye region (zoster ophthalmicus) presents risk to vision
- Resolution of skin findings in 2-4w