Does Your Insurance Cover the Shingles Vaccine?

The Affordable Care Act … has recommended the shingles vaccine for those aged 60 or older. (1) Herpes Zoster (HZ), commonly called shingles, is a distinctive syndrome caused by reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV), which also causes chickenpox. Read More …

Giant Cell Arteritis Can be Caused by the Herpes Virus

  A study published in the medical journal Neurology found VZV in “74% of temporal arteries pathologically positive for GCA.” – Medscape (1) Herpes zoster is a condition caused by a herpes virus. The varicella zoster virus (VZV) causes chickenpox, Read More …

Diabetes Increases Risk of Herpes Zoster

Diabetes has a role in the development of Herpes Zoster outbreaks. – Anales del Sistema sanitario de Navarra Many people do not realize that Diabetes is associated with an impaired immune system. Specifically, a study published in 2008 in the journal Read More …

Shingles Vaccine Only Partially Effective (Does Efficacy Decline with Age?)

A concern is that the herpes zoster vaccine’s efficacy … declines with increasing age. – Advances in Pharmacology The herpes zoster virus establishes a lifelong, latent infection. Reactivation of the virus causes a very painful “shingles” outbreak. Studies showed that the Read More …

Herpes Zoster Infection Can Lead to Stroke

“Varicella zoster virus (VZV) vasculopathy is caused by productive virus infection in cerebral arteries where accumulation of myofibroblasts in the arterial intima and loss of smooth muscle cells result in ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke.” – Maria A. Nagel In a study Read More …