Aging is a gift that comes with benefits and challenges. One challenge for adults 50 and over is shingles. This virus needs to be discussed more than other illnesses. Still, it can become pressing enough if preventative strategies are not put in place. Dr. Leah Smith and Laarnie San Juan are shingles advocates from GSK, an international pharmaceutical company. These two want to increase awareness and help everyone understand this undercover threat.Laarni San Juan. Photo Submitted“We should take it seriously because it can disrupt your life. It is not a simple rash that goes away. It can be excruciating and can impact you in many ways. It can impact your ability to participate in daily activities, work, and hobbies. It can affect time with your family. That’s why you need to take shingles seriously,” said Dr. Leah Smith, a pharmacist and medical educator with GSK.Shingles are a condition caused by the reactivation of the virus behind chicken pox. According to Dr. Smith, after you have chickenpox as a child, the virus remains silent in your body until years later. It reactivates after the body’s immune system declines due to old age. Adults over 50 usually get shingles. About 99 percent of adults 50 and older in the US have shingles already, but how they develop and who gets them are unknown. Shingles appear as a painful rash on the body or face. The rash will blister and scab over, which can take weeks to clear. The extent of the virus is nerve pain that can last for years.Shingles is a viral infection caused by varicella-zoster virus. It mainly presented as a painfull blister rash anywhere on the body. Credit:iStock.com/abdmalekmd“The majority of shingles cases are happening in adults 50 and over. They already have the shingles virus inside of their body. Still, not everybody who’s at risk will go on to develop it. It is the same virus as chicken pox, so there is no way to know who will or won’t develop it. Laarnie was going on vacation when she found out she had shingles and ended up going to the hospital,” said Dr. Smith.San Juan got shingles in May 2021. The virus appeared mid-travel on her vacation to Hawaii. San Juan is an active and healthy 54-year-old mother. Because of her healthy routine, the thought of shingles never crossed her mind. Unfortunately, shingles appeared, and she had to spend seven days in the hospital, which took up all of her vacation time.San Juan had marks on her body and discoloration on her face. Regular tasks became a hassle to complete. This experience took a profound emotional toll on her. She found the strength to share her story and become a Shingle’s health ambassador for GSK. This illness became quite the journey for San Juan.Photo Credit:iStock.com/Prostock-studio“The mental and the psychological impact of it all has left a mark on me much deeper than I thought. I still think about when it happened and how much I look at life. I believe everyone has a story, and my story through this experience is just a drop I could share with everyone and anyone,” said Laarnie San Juan, GSK Shingles advocate.There is no cure for shingles. The only recommendation is to speak with your doctor about prevention before or at age 50. Discussing risk factors like stress and the aging immune system are topics you can bring to them regarding shingles.Dr. Smith and San Juan want to prepare everyone getting close to 50 about shingles. No one controls who gets it or how it appears, but the more it is discussed, the more support people can receive from others.“Ever since I found the courage to share my story, I have had family and friends share their shingles experiences. It has opened up a conversation that doesn’t happen often. Sharing my story has spread the message and created awareness for this unexpected situation,” said San Juan.The post Shingles: Understanding the hidden threat for adults 50 and over appeared first on The Atlanta Voice.