Family history of shingles increases risk

HOUSTON, May 20 (UPI) -- The more relatives a person has who have experienced shingles, the higher the risk others in the family will too, U.S. researchers say.

Dr. Stephen Tyring of the University of Texas Medical School at Houston says shingles, caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox, is a burning, painful, itchy skin rash with blisters that can last up to five weeks. The pain can last months to years.

The virus lies dormant until a person has an accident, dental work, physical/emotional stress or the immune system is suppressed, Tyring says.

"If just one blood relative has had shingles, you should get vaccinated," Tyring says in a statement. "Your risk is double that of someone who has had no relatives with the virus. The estimate, however, is most valid for first degree relatives such as a mother, father or sibling."

Researchers at The Center for Clinical Studies, an outpatient clinic in Houston, examined 1,027 patients treated from 1992 to 2005. Of the more than 500 patients with shingles, 39 percent reported knowing of a blood relative who had suffered from shingles, while 11 percent who had never had shingles knew of any blood relative who had shingles.

The findings are published in the Archives of Dermatology.