GRAND RAPIDS, Mich — About one in three people in the United States will get shingles in their lifetime, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The CDC also shows a gradual increase in cases over time. That is likely due to the nature of the virus.
Shingles is typically developed later in life, usually in those who had chicken pox as a child. It is the same virus. As our population ages, more people are getting shingles.
The virus remains dormant in the body, suppressed by the immune system.
"I would say cases are rather few and far between," said Dr. Lindsay Israels, who specializes in family practice at University of Michigan Health-West. "But because of the aging population, it's definitely becoming something that we have seen a little bit more often."
Shingles is an itchy, often very painful, rash. It needs to be treated by a doctor, who Israels said will prescribe an antiviral, pain control, steroids or other treatment depending on the case.
The rash can last seven to ten days, typically. More severe cases can last between two and six weeks.
People over the age of 50 are encouraged to get a shingles vaccination, which is in two doses. It is a contagious condition.
Severe cases can lead to an eye rash that needs to be looked at by an ophthalmologist.
"Other times patients can develop what's called post herpetic neuralgia, which is just long term lingering of the nerve pain, persisting even after the rash has disappeared," said Israels. "That happens in about one in ten cases."
Shingles can be identified by rashers developing in a line on one side of the body.
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