Shingles could be a genetic disease

People with a family history of shingles (Herpes zoster) are more vulnerable to the disease than those without a family history. Shingles is an outbreak of rash or blisters on the skin that is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. A person with shingles can pass the varicella-zoster virus to anyone who hasn't had chickenpox before, resulting in chickenpox, not shingles. This usually occurs through direct contact with the open sores of the shingles rash. To assess the risk factors of shingles (beyond age and immuno-suppression), particularly the association between family history of shingles and the risk of developing the disease, American researchers interviewed 504 patients with shingles and 523 "control" subjects with a new diagnosis of another skin disease. Around 40 percent of the patients with shingles reported a family history of the disease, against 10 percent of those who did not have a family history of shingles but still developed it. Further, people with one relative with shingles were five times more likely to develop the condition than people with no family history, while those with multiple affected relatives had fourteen times higher risk.The results suggest an association between developing shingles and a family history of shingles. Getting vaccinated with the chickenpox vaccine increases immunity against the disease. The researchers recommend that individuals with a family history of the condition should get vaccinated and educate themselves with the signs and symptoms of the disease, which can reduce morbidity and health care expenditure for the complications of shingles.