Shingles Complications

Shingles complications include people with ophthalmic shingles -- lesions in or around the eye and forehead -- can suffer painful eye infections, and in some cases immediate or delayed vision loss. People with shingles in or near the eye should see an ophthalmologist immediately.

Shingles infections within or near the ear (Ramsay-Hunt syndrome) can cause hearing or balance problems as well as weakness of the muscles on the affected side of the face.

shingles complications in rare cases

In rare cases, shingles can spread into the brain or spinal cord and cause serious complications such as stroke or meningitis (an infection of the membranes outside the brain and spinal cord). People with shingles need to seek immediate medical evaluation if they notice neurological symptoms outside the region of the primary shingles attack.

People who are immunosuppressed, whether from diseases such as HIV or medications, have an increased risk of serious complications from shingles. Most commonly, they get shingles that spreads to involve more parts of the body, or shingles rashes that persist for long periods or return frequently. Many such patients are helped by taking antiviral medications on a continuous basis.

shingles complications & Infection with VZV During Pregnancy

Many mothers-to-be are concerned about any infection contracted during pregnancy, and rightly so because some infections can be transmitted across the mother´s bloodstream to the fetus or can be acquired by the baby during the birth process. VZV infection during pregnancy poses some risk to the unborn child, depending upon the stage of pregnancy.

During the first 30 weeks, maternal chickenpox may, in some cases, shingles complications can lead to congenital malformations. Such cases are rare and experts differ in their opinions on how great the risk is. Most experts agree that shingles in a pregnant woman, a rare event, is even less likely to cause harm to the unborn child.

shingles complications & chicken pox

If a pregnant woman gets chickenpox between 21 to 5 days before giving birth, her newborn can have chickenpox at birth or develop it within a few days. But the time lapse between the start of the mother´s illness and the birth of the baby generally allows the mother´s immune system to react and produce antibodies to fight the virus.

These antibodies can be transmitted to the unborn child and thus help fight the infection. Still, a small percent of the babies exposed to chickenpox in the 21 to 5 days before birth develop shingles in the first 5 years of life because the newborn´s immune system is not yet fully functional and capable of keeping the virus latent.

shingles complications at birth

What if the mother contracts chickenpox at the time of birth? In that case the mother´s immune system has not had a chance to mobilize its forces. And although some of the mother´s antibodies will be transmitted to the newborn via the placenta, the newborn will have little ability to fight off the attack because its immune system is immature.

If these babies develop chickenpox as a result, it can be fatal. They are given zoster immune globulin, a preparation made from the antibody-rich blood of adults who have recently recovered from chickenpox or shingles, to lessen the severity of their chickenpox.