Shingles is an infectious disease caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After having chickenpox, the virus remains dormant in the nerve ganglia and may reactivate even after many years, especially when immunity is weakened. Epidemiologists estimate that on average one in three people over the age of 60 will suffer from shingles. This disease is often wrongly perceived as mild, but its complications can be very serious.
Shingles most often manifests itself as pain lasting several days in the area of one dermatome, i.e. a part of the skin innervated by one spinal nerve. Soon, painful vesicles appear on an erythematous base that do not cross the midline of the body. The disease may be accompanied by fever and enlargement of nearby lymph nodes. Skin eruptions usually disappear after 7-14 days, but in about 50% of cases. People over 60 years of age experience pain in the affected areas, lasting up to several months or years.
Shingles is contagious, but you cannot catch it directly from someone who has shingles. However, people who have not had chickenpox and have not been vaccinated can become infected with the virus and develop chickenpox.
Herpes zoster neuralgia is one of the most serious complications of shingles. It manifests itself as long-term, chronic nerve pain that may persist for years. It occurs in about 30 percent. patients, leading to a significant reduction in quality of life and chronic suffering. Treatment of neuralgia is difficult and often ineffective, and the disease can lead to damage to the nervous system.
The particularly dangerous form of herpes zoster is the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve. It can lead to corneal ulcers, a rash in the external auditory canal, tinnitus, dizziness, and even facial nerve palsy.
The greatest risk of disease concerns older people - age over 50 is the main risk factor. Additionally, people with chronic diseases, reduced immunity, transplant recipients, cancer patients, HIV-infected or immunosuppressed are particularly vulnerable to severe disease and complications.
The shingles vaccine was approved for marketing in the European Union in March 2018, and in Poland it will be available from the first quarter of 2023. It is recommended for people over 50 years of age and adults from risk groups. The vaccination course consists of two doses given two months apart. The vaccine provides long-term protection against shingles - up to 10 years after vaccination - and is well tolerated.
The most common side effects are pain at the injection site, muscle aches, fatigue and headache, which are mild to moderate in severity and disappear within a few days.
From April 1, 2025, the vaccine is free of charge for people aged 65+ at increased risk of shingles (100% refund), and for people aged 18+ from risk groups, the refund is 50%. Risk groups include, among others: people with chronic heart, lung and kidney diseases, diabetes, cancer, HIV infection, transplant recipients and autoimmune diseases.
Research conducted in the USA on a group of 70,000 people over 60 years of age showed that the shingles vaccine reduces the risk of heart attack and stroke by up to 12%. in the first 3.5 years after vaccination. After seven years of follow-up, the risk of cardiovascular disease was 4 percent lower. lower compared to people who did not receive the vaccine. Although the difference may seem small, its significance can be enormous given the scale of the problem of heart disease and stroke in the world.
Scientists emphasize that further clinical trials are needed to confirm whether the observed effect is a direct result of the vaccine or whether it is caused by more factors. One of the hypotheses assumes that the reactivation of the herpes zoster virus itself may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases, and more effective prevention of herpes zoster reduces the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
