How do you tell the difference between chickenpox and shingles?

They may both start as a rash but later shingles can turn into painful blisters, while chickenpox will give you an uncomfortable itch. Shingles typically looks like a single stripe rash around the left or right side of the body, but it may also break out on your face or scalp.

Can shingles be mistaken for chickenpox?

Shingles Is a Viral Rash, Like Chicken Pox Shingles rash is caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chicken pox. The shingles virus lies dormant in the nerve fibers of people who have had chicken pox; as they age, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles.

Is shingles worse than chicken pox?

Shingles (herpes zoster) Once a person has had chicken pox, the virus remains in nerve cells near the spine. Chicken pox will never reoccur if the virus is “reactivated”. Instead, a condition far worse than chicken pox develops: shingles. For more information, see Shingles (Herpes Zoster).

Is chickenpox or shingles worse?

Chickenpox is usually a milder illness that affects children. Shingles results from a reactivation of the virus long after the chickenpox illness has disappeared. The chickenpox virus stays in the body even after recovery. Later in life, the virus can reactivate and cause shingles.

Why is shingles worse than chickenpox?

Chickenpox, he said, occurs in people who are “immunologically naïve.” But in shingles, the person has already made immune responses to the virus. When reactivated, it seems to provoke a “recall response,” stimulating the immune system’s T-cells to attack the infected nerve cells.

How do you catch shingles?

The blisters that develop as a result of shingles contain virus particles. If you have not had chickenpox before, you can catch it from direct contact with the fluid from the blisters of someone who has shingles, or from something that has the fluid on it, such as bed sheets or a towel.

Is shingles brought on by stress?

Emotional stress is considered a trigger for shingles because it has been shown to weaken the body’s immune system. This can happen in those who have undergone a sudden shock, such as the death of a loved one, or people who face chronic work or life stress.