According to a new study, the association of a person to shingles can lead to a higher risk of having stroke and heart attack.
A new research has suggested that shingles also called as herpes zoster is linked to several serious diseases. These ailments include ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) or heart attack.
The study was based on the data of 67,000 individuals newly diagnosed with shingles. The patients who were 65 years above were then tracked by examining their heart health conditions.
The results showed that 42, 954 patients both have shingles and ischemic stroke. On the other hand, 24,237 individuals were found out to have herpes zoster and myocardial infarction.
In a statement, Caroline Minassian explained the result of the said survey.
"The study highlights when patients with shingles may be most vulnerable. If we know when these events are more likely to happen, this may potentially help to prevent strokes and heart attacks in older people," stated by study author which is also a researcher in the faculty of epidemiology and population health at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in England.
The result also showed that those individuals who have shingles have higher chance of developing stroke and heart attack during the first three months after the diagnosis of the herpes zoster.
Herpes zoster is defined as a common virus which is affecting almost a million of Americans per year. The virus is said to cause both shingles and chicken pox. The virus will be inactive within the victim's body following chickenpox.
After many years, it can have a chance to be active again. When that happens, it will turn to shingles which is described as a painful, blistering skin rash. It can be complicated by a prolonged, severe and disabling pain also called as post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN)condition.
