Causes, Risk Factors, And Complications Of Shingles

Conditions That Compromise The Immune System

If individuals have certain conditions that compromise the immune system, they have a much higher chance of developing shingles. Cancer, HIV, AIDS, and other autoimmune diseases all increase this risk. When an individual's immune system isn't holding the virus at bay, there's a larger chance it will reactivate and spread to the tissues in their skin. One other concerning thing is that a study showed patients with autoimmune diseases might have a higher chance of having a stroke after developing shingles. Researchers are still looking into the factors that may have caused the increased stroke risk. Autoimmune diseases occur when the immune system mistakenly believes parts of the body are invading pathogens that must be destroyed. This leads to the immune system attacking healthy tissues throughout the body. One of the most common autoimmune diseases is rheumatoid arthritis, but there are many others as well.

Get familiar with the complications associated with shingles next.