Shingles Increases Risk of Stroke in Young Adults

According to a new study recently published in an online issue of Neurology, having shingles at a young age may increase the risk of having a stroke years later. People age 18 to 40 who had shingles were more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack years later than people who had not had shingles, and in fact, people under 40 years old were 74 percent more likely to have a stroke if they had had shingles, after adjusting for other stroke risk factors. While the numbers were not as large in people over 40, “anyone with shingles, and especially younger people, should be screened for stroke risk factors,” study author Judith Breuer, MD, of University College London. Click here to read the full article.