www.onlinedermclinic.com In this tutorial, Chris Schach MD, discusses diagnosis of this painful condition caused by reactivation of the chicken pox virus (varicella-zoster). Please visit our site for more information about dermatological conditions. Key Points * Better known as shingles * Painful skin rash that often forms blisters * Occurs in a dermatome(sensory nerve distribution) on one side of the body...does not cross the midline * Viral in nature, caused by the chicken pox virus (varicella-zoster virus=VZV) Herpes Zoster, often known as shingles, is a frequently painful skin rash localized to one region of the body. The herpes zoster virus (VZV) is the same virus that causes chicken pox (varicella). Once an outbreak of chicken pox has resolved, the virus becomes dormant in the sensory nerve root along the spinal cord. The area where it remains dormant is called the dorsal root ganglion. Later in life, the virus may reactivate and travel along the nerve, often causing s! evere pain and in a region of the body. Because individual sensory nerves are responsible for sensation in one region on one side of the body, the associated pain and eventual blisters are confined to that region. The resulting skin rash â€" which is often accompanied by clear or bloody blisters â€" occurs most often in people over the age of 60, although certain diseases like AIDS or cancer can suppress the immune system enough so that the herpes zoster virus can reactivate. Aging, illness or stress to
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