What are the causes of an infection?

Shingles is a viral disease. It is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV). If you get infected with the virus for the first time, you get chickenpox.

Even if the chickenpox seems to heal without any visible consequences, the virus survives in the nerve cells of the spinal cord. For patients who were therefore already ill with chickenpox as a child, shingles is not contagious. They already carry the virus inside them. Patients who have never had contact with the virus can become infected by shingles through contact with the rash or by droplet infection in chickenpox patients.

Where on the body does shingles break out?

Shingles usually occurs on the chest, belly or back. This has also given the disease its name. The skin rash spreads like a belt on the trunk of the body.

However, all localizations for shingles are conceivable. There is therefore also shingles on the neck, face or scalp. Shingles is particularly dangerous if it affects the eye. Ultimately, it is not possible to say at which location shingles breaks out. There are no particular risk factors for this.

Causes in young people

Shingles occurs more frequently with increasing age. The disease is less common in young people than in people who have passed the age of 45. Shingles (zoster) is caused by the same virus as chickenpox – the varicella zoster virus.

In the initial infection, which in most cases occurs in childhood, the clinical picture is that of chickenpox. The viruses attack the body and settle in different nerve nodes. After a single infection, the person affected is a lifelong carrier of the pathogens.

Often, however, the pathogens remain silent and never cause the disease again. If the viruses are reactivated, the result is shingles.A reactivation of the virus is only possible if the immune system is impaired in its function. A restriction of this kind can have different causes.

Especially in young people, stress, an irregular and often unhealthy diet and lack of sleep play an important role. On the other hand, traumatic injuries caused by accidents, various drugs or excessive UV radiation can be the background of the disease. Particularly young people tend in their striving for good looks to use sunbaths to beautify the skin tint. This supernatural irradiation of the skin can trigger a stressful situation for them, which can ultimately lead to shingles. All other causes also play a role here – only the combination of different aspects weakens the immune system enough for a viral reactivation to occur.