HOUSTON, Jan. 18 (UPI) -- Shingles, caused by the same virus as chickenpox, affects roughly 1 million U.S. adults each year, but many are completely unaware of the disease.
The results of a recent national survey by the American Pain Foundation found that many older adults were not aware of their risk for the disease. More than half of the respondents who reported having heard of shingles were not sure of the risk factors. Many respondents were unaware of the relationship between chickenpox and shingles.
After a person gets the chickenpox, most often during childhood, the inactivated virus can live on in certain nerve cells in the body. In healthy people, the body's immune system usually keeps the virus at bay. As people age or their immune systems become compromised, the virus can reactivate and result in shingles. The risk of shingles increases with age.
"People don't really know about shingles unless they know someone who has had shingles, or they develop it themselves," said Dr. Stephen Tyring of the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
