Who is at Risk for Shingles?

About 10 percent of normal adults can be expected to get shingles during their lifetimes, usually after age 50. The incidence increases with age so that shingles is 10 times more likely to occur in adults over 60 than in children under 10. Most people who get shingles develop immunity to the virus and will not get the disease again, however, shingles may recur in some individuals. These cases usually involve people with declining or compromised immune systems, such as those infected with HIV or receiving chemotherapy.

A person who is suffering from a disease that damages the immune system, or who is taking anticancer drugs that suppress the immune system, is a prime candidate for an attack of shingles. Even among healthy individuals, temporary depression of the immune system because of stress, a cold, and even sunburn may be associated with an attack of shingles.

Youngsters whose mothers had chickenpox late in pregnancy 5 to 21 days before giving birth are also vulnerable to shingles. Sometimes these children are born with chickenpox or develop a typical case within a few days (see section entitled "Do Women Have Special Risks from Shingles Do Women Have Special Risks from Shingles" for more information).

Back to Your Guide to Shingles Back to Your Guide to Shingles
Reviewed by Michael W. Smith, MD, June 2005.

SOURCE: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.ninds.nih.gov/health_and_medical/pubs/shingles.htm