Shingles Diagnosis

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Get the Facts

Herpes Zoster (Shingles)

What Is Shingles? Shingles is a very painful disease caused by the same herpes virus that causes chicken pox (varicella zoster virus). Like other herpes viruses, the varicella-zoster virus has an initial infectious stage, (chicken pox) followed by a dormant stage. Then, with no warning, the virus becomes active again. About 20% of people who have had chicken pox will eventually develop shingles. This reactivation of the virus is most likely to...

Ask the Experts

Shingles=HIV ? (SHINGLES, 2009)

Hi,i'm 24 and was diagnosed w/ shingles after I developed a small circular rash on my shoulder. I got tested for HIV the same day but I feel like these are longest 2 weeks of my life. I haven't been sick nor have I had any abnormal female...

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.

The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation

Hello,Does a routine case of shingles mean HIV??? No. A routine case of shingles means a routine case of shingles and nothing more. See below.Dr. Bobplease dr bob.. 3rd time askin.. am i still freakin or hiv? (SHINGLES)Feb 20, 2008 dr bob.. i have... Read more »

HIV/Shingles & Postherpetic Neuralgia

This is a complicated disease for us to understand and we are still in shock over his diagnosis. Prior to our meeting I had read that AIDS classification is when a patient has a CD4 count <200. When I heard his count was 468, I was thrilled. I...

Response from Mark Holodniy, M.D., F.A.C.P., C.I.C.

Stanford University, School of Medicine

My responses are only through this mechanism.1. Yes.2. On appropriate HIV treatment, he can expect his viral load to become undetectable.3 and 4. Yes, and they will.5. Possible.... Read more »

Shingles, magnetic couple, concerned for boyfriend

Dr. Bob, Thank you for your help and for your advise. Your answers have been very helpful and comforting for me since I was diagnosed a year ago.My question relates to shingles. I am 45, 480 CD4, 36,000 v.l., not on medications yet. I think I have...

Response from Robert J. Frascino, M.D.

The Robert James Frascino AIDS Foundation

Bonjour!Je visiterai Montreal la semaine prochaine! J'adore cette ville pittoresque et amusante.Your description of a one-sided painful rash is indeed consistent with shingles. Yes, it could be contagious to someone who is not already immune to... Read more »

Shingles and New Medication

Hey, I'm a male, 25 years old, lead a healthy lifestyle, etc. I was diagnosed today with Shingles and given medication to fix that. My doctor told me that there is a possibility that this is an opportunistic infection as a result of a low CD4...

Response from Gerald Pierone, M.D.

AIDS Research and Treatment Center of the Treasure Coast

Shingles is a reactivation of a chronic Varicella-Zoster virus (VZV) infection. This virus becomes dormant after an initial presentation as Chicken Pox. This virus is more likely to flare up as shingles when there is a decline in cell-mediated... Read more »

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shingles

Posted by tboy, 2 Replies

last week I was diagnosed with shingles. I didn't get nearly the attention of the doctors or information I needed. Oh sure I recieved a prescription but not much information. I'm taking acyclovir (sp?) It is painful to sleep and my leg looks... Read more »

Long Term Symptoms without Diagnosis

Posted by concerned101, 1 Reply

I'll try to keep this brief. Here is my chronology;
1996 - no sexual contact, just kissing with exchange of saliva with a female in a foreign country. Days later, growth on underside of tongue...fleshy in color with a white tip. Over a couple of... Read more »

Can I get Shingles from another Poz guy if I had ?

Posted by Anonymous, 1 Reply

Can I get shingles from another poz person even if I already had them myself in the past??? Read more »

My sister is HIV+ and has shingles

Posted by Anonymous, 3 Replies

I was just wondering if anyone had experience with HIV and shingles. She's been fighting the shingles now for about 5 months and they'll just start to go away and then come back again. She was very thin for a while, but looked really good and had... Read more »

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