Adults over the age of 50 who have had COVID-19 are more likely to get an outbreak of shingles, according to a new study.
A study published in the journal Open Forum Infectious Diseases last month looked at data from 400,000 people who were infected with COVID-19 and 1.6 million who were not. Adults over the age of 50 who had COVID-19 were found to be 15% more likely to develop shingles within six months. The risk increases to 21% for those who have been hospitalized with COVID-19.
Shingles, also known as shingles, is a viral infection characterized by painful blisters that usually appear on one side of the torso. It can take up to five weeks for the infection to clear.
Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the strain of herpes that causes chickenpox. Once someone has chickenpox, the virus can remain dormant in the body for decades before reactivating to cause shingles, said Dr. Kashif Pirzada, an emergency physician in Toronto.
“It never completely leaves your body. Your immune system keeps it under control like pulling a rope,” Pirzada told Your Morning on CTV on Tuesday. “If you have a big shock to your immune system, like a COVID infection, or if you don’t sleep, don’t eat well … then it can break out and cause shingles.”
In rare cases, the varicella zoster virus can also cause a neurological disorder known as Ramsey Hunt syndrome. This is a form of facial paralysis that can occur when an outbreak of shingles affects the facial nerve near one of the ears. Pirzada said the consequences could be devastating. Earlier this month, a diagnosis of Ramsey Hunt syndrome forced Justin Bieber to cancel a series of tour dates.
“It affects your balance, your hearing, your taste, your facial movements, even closing your eyes,” Pirzada said. “And recovery is long. If you start antiviral drugs early, you can have a better course. But recovery can take months, even years.”
Currently, Pirzada said, the best protection against shingles for people who have already had chickenpox is the shingles vaccine.
While the chickenpox vaccine has been available for children in Canada since 2000, the shingles vaccine is currently only recommended for adults over the age of 50. Some provinces offer the vaccine free of charge to the elderly, and advocates want to see the rest of the country. Follow the example.
The National Immunization Advisory Committee is also considering recommending the vaccine to anyone aged 18 and over who is immunodeficient or immunocompromised.
As for allegations circulating online that the COVID-19 vaccine causes outbreaks of shingles, Pirzada said they were not true.
“You will win [Lotto] 649 several times before you get shingles from the vaccine, “he said.
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