Can Shingles Cause Pneumonia

The rash usually appears on one side of the body.

Can shingles cause pneumonia.

Viruses are the most common cause of pneumonia in children younger than 5 years. It can reactivate years later and cause shingles. Shingles or herpes zoster is a common viral infection. The shingles virus can spread to the internal organs resulting in a condition called internal shingles.

Shingles not only gives you a painful rash it can also lead to other serious problems. The fungi that cause it can be found in soil or bird droppings and vary depending upon geographic location. Viral pneumonia is usually mild. People can also develop pneumonia if the virus infects the lungs.

Internal shingles can cause the following complications depending on the organ it affects. Chickenpox and shingles are related because they are caused by the same virus varicella zoster virus. An older adult with shingles is more likely to develop phn and have longer lasting and more severe pain than a younger person with shingles. If you had zostavax in the recent past you should wait at least eight weeks before getting shingrix.

People younger than 40 rarely experience phn. Their findings address a 2009 recommendation by the drugs manufacturer merck co that the zoster or. Sign up for aarp s health newsletter. Pneumonia encephalitis stroke and bacterial infections can cause your body to go into shock or sepsis.

Depending on which nerves are affected shingles can cause an inflammation of the brain encephalitis facial paralysis or hearing or balance problems. Very rarely it can also lead to. Shingles in or around an eye ophthalmic shingles can cause painful eye infections that may result in vision loss. Find out what shingles can cause what to look for and how to get treated.

It causes a large painful rash with blisters. In rare cases the shingles virus can spread to the internal organs and cause inflammation. Some of the viruses that cause colds and the flu can cause pneumonia. After a person recovers from chickenpox the virus stays dormant inactive in the body.