Shingles Linked to Increased Risk of Stroke in Young Adults

According to research published in the January 2014 issue of Neurology, having shingles may increase the risk of having a stroke later in life. Shingles, a painful viral infection caused by the same virus attributed to chickenpox, can appear as a result of the dormant chickenpox virus that stays in the nerve roots years after recovery. The study found that people from ages 18 to 40 who had shingles were more likely to have a stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack (TIA), years later than people who did not have shingles. People over 40 who had shingles were more likely to have a heart attack or TIA — but not a stroke — compared to those who did not have shingles. The study involved 106,600 people who had shingles in addition to 213,200 people who did not. To read more about the results of this study, click here.