Can Shingles Cause Pneumonia

Depending on which nerves are affected shingles can cause an inflammation of the brain encephalitis facial paralysis or hearing or balance problems.

Can shingles cause pneumonia.

Shingles or herpes zoster is a common viral infection. If left untreated some complications of shingles can be fatal. After a person recovers from chickenpox the virus stays dormant inactive in the body. Viruses are the most common cause of pneumonia in children younger than 5 years.

The fungi that cause it can be found in soil or bird droppings and vary depending upon geographic location. The rash usually appears on one side of the body. Some of the viruses that cause colds and the flu can cause pneumonia. People younger than 40 rarely experience phn.

The shingles virus can spread to the internal organs resulting in a condition called internal shingles. Internal shingles can cause the following complications depending on the organ it affects. Sign up for aarp s health newsletter. Shingles in or around an eye ophthalmic shingles can cause painful eye infections that may result in vision loss.

Find out what shingles can cause what to look for and how to get treated. An older adult with shingles is more likely to develop phn and have longer lasting and more severe pain than a younger person with shingles. Shingles may lead to serious complications involving the eye including blindness. It can reactivate years later and cause shingles.

Shingles not only gives you a painful rash it can also lead to other serious problems. En español older adults can safely take vaccines against pneumonia and shingles at the same time without compromising the effectiveness of either researchers with kaiser permanente have concluded in a new study published in the journal vaccine. Very rarely it can also lead to. People can also develop pneumonia if the virus infects the lungs.

Viral pneumonia is usually mild. Chickenpox and shingles are related because they are caused by the same virus varicella zoster virus. Their findings address a 2009 recommendation by the drugs manufacturer merck co that the zoster or. In rare cases the shingles virus can spread to the internal organs and cause inflammation.