Why does shingles hurt much more than chicken pox and why can’t the body get rid of the virus? Shouldn’t it be able to identify and destroy foreign microbes?
In: Biology
Shingles is also known as herpes zoster – the Varicella-zoster virus that causes both it and chickenpox is part of the herpesvirus family which also includes herpes simplex (cold sores and genital herpes depending on the type).
These are all persistent as the virus embeds the viral DNA into your own DNA during an initial infection. Reinfections occur when the viral DNA is used to make new virus by your own cells and your immune system is weakened for whatever reason (aging, stress, other illness, etc) .
Shingles in particular embeds itself in the nerve roots, typically of your torso although not always, where it can stay hidden until it reactivates. The severe pain is caused by inflammation of the affected nerves.
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