Featured Topics

Every month we feature a condition which may be of interest.  We aim to bring you an overview of the condition including symptoms, cause, treatment, and information on up to date research into the condition.  We will also publish some good links to web-sites which have some useful further reading if you wish to discover more.

If you have a subject you are particularly interested in then use the Contact Us page to let us know and we will try to feature it soon.

Shingles

Shingles is an infection of a nerve and the area of skin that is supplied by it. It is caused by the herpes varicella-zoster virus which also causes chickenpox.

Most people have chickenpox as a child, but after the illness has gone, the virus remains dormant (inactive) in the nervous system. The immune system keeps the virus in check, but later in life it can become reactivated, and cause shingles.

About 1 in 5 people get shingles at some point in their life. Although it can occur at any age, it is most common in people aged over 50. Shingles usually affects the nerve supply on one side of the body. The main symptoms are pain and a rash.