Is Shingles Serious? Why This Infection Is More Than a Rash

Some people think of shingles as just a rash. While you have shingles, you may experience a lot of pain, itching, or discomfort. More importantly, shingles can come with several long-term complications.

The risk of shingles and its complications increases with age. That’s because your immune system becomes less active with time, so you may be less able to suppress infections.

What are the complications of shingles?

“Shingles has a very common complication called postherpetic neuralgia,” says Peter DeMarco, MD, Family Medicine Physician at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. Postherpetic neuralgia can cause long-term pain in the area where the shingles rash was. The pain may last weeks, months, or even years.

Shingles can sometimes also affect the face near the eye. This can potentially harm parts of the eye and permanently affect vision. If you have shingles near the eye, you will likely need to visit an ophthalmologist to monitor your eye health until the rash clears.

While less common, shingles can also cause medical emergencies like pneumonia, brain inflammation (encephalitis), and even death.

How can you protect yourself against shingles?

“The shingles vaccine can be helpful to reduce the risk of complications,” says Dr. DeMarco. 

If shingles does occur, the vaccine helps the immune system to fight off the virus so that it doesn’t reactivate fully. People who have the shingles vaccine tend to experience milder symptoms and fewer complications.

Talk to your primary care provider or pharmacist to learn if you are eligible for the shingles vaccine. Getting the vaccine early — as soon as you are eligible — may give you the best protection against shingles and its complications.