Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. Although shingles can occur anywhere on your body, it most often appears as a single stripe of blisters on one side of your torso or face.

Causes:

Shingles is caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays dormant (inactive) in the body. For reasons that are not fully known, the virus can reactivate years later, causing shingles.

Symptoms:

While it isn't a life-threatening condition, shingles can be very painful. Before the rash develops, people often have pain, itching or tingling in the area where the rash will develop. The rash forms blisters that typically scab over in 7 to 10 days and clears up within 2 to 4 weeks.

Depending on the location of the pain, it can sometimes be mistaken for a symptom of problems affecting the heart, lungs or kidneys. Some people experience shingles pain without ever developing the rash. The signs and symptoms of shingles usually affect only a small section of one side of your body. These signs and symptoms may include:

• Pain, burning, numbness or tingling
• Sensitivity to touch
• A red rash that begins a few days after the pain
• Fluid-filled blisters that break open and crust over
• Itching

Treatment:

Shingles generally lasts between two and six weeks. Most people get shingles only once, but it is possible to get it two or more times. Shingles can cause severe pain, so your doctor also may prescribe:

• Capsaicin cream
• Anticonvulsants, such as gabapentin (Neurontin)
• Tricyclic antidepressants, such as amitriptyline
• Numbing agents, such as lidocaine, delivered via a cream, gel, spray or skin patch
• Medications that contain narcotics, such as codeine
• An injection including corticosteroids and local anesthetics

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For more information:

1 - Mayo Clinic article, Shingles:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/shingles/basics/definition/con-20019574

2 - CDC.gov page on Shingles:
http://www.cdc.gov/shingles/

3 - WebMD.com article, Shingles - Topic Overview:
http://www.webmd.com/skin-problems-and-treatments/shingles/shingles-topic-overview