Shingles on the neck in children
In children, the infection with shingles is often much more harmless than in adults. As with chickenpox, its effects only increase with age. In this respect, anyone who experiences an infection in childhood can consider themselves lucky.
However, while chickenpox is a typical childhood disease, shingles usually only occurs at an advanced age. An infection with shingles is relatively untypical for children under 10 years of age. The symptoms are roughly the same as for adults: After a short period of fever and headache, an outbreak of shingles occurs with the formation of glassy blisters and a relatively clearly defined, reddish rash.
In children under 10 years of age, shingles usually manifests itself in the chest area, but as they get older, areas such as the neck and head are affected. The child’s immune system is not fully developed until the age of 10 years, it still learns during this time. Therefore it can happen that the child’s organism does not cope with the infection as well as that of an adult.
If shingles also occurs in the head area, the eyes and brain may be involved. Also in view of the fact that shingles are rather rare in children, a pediatric clarification is necessary at the latest then.
