where does the shingles virus hide in the body
Shingles Shingles is due to a reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) within a person's body.[1] The disease chickenpox is caused by the initial infection with VZV.[1] Once chickenpox has resolved, the virus may remain inactive in nerve cells.[1] When it reactivates, it travels from the nerve body to the endings in the skin, producing blisters.[7] Risk factors for reactivation include old age, poor immune function, and having had chickenpox before 18 months of age.[1] How the virus remains in the body or subsequently re-activates is not well understood.[1] Exposure to the virus in the blisters can cause chickenpox in someone who has not had it before, but will not trigger shingles.[9] Diagnosis is typically based on a person's signs and symptoms.[3] Varicella zoster virus is not the same as herpes simplex virus; however, they belong to the same family of viruses.[10]
Viral disease Viral disease is usually detected by clinical presentation, for instance severe muscle and joint pains preceding fever, or skin rash and swollen lymph glands. Laboratory investigation is not directly effective in detecting viral infections, because they do not themselves increase the white blood cell count. Laboratory investigation may be useful in diagnosing associated bacterial infections, however. Viral infections are commonly of limited duration, so treatment usually consists in reducing the symptoms; antipyretic and analgesic drugs are commonly prescribed.[37]