• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
BlackDoctor.org
Where Wellness & Culture Connect

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

  • Health Conditions
  • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
  • Longevity
  • Resource Centers
    • Clinical Trials Resource Center
    • Wellness on the Yard
    • Cancer Resource Center
    • Immunocompromised Care
    • Top Blacks in Healthcare
  • Find A Doctor
  • BDO TV
Home / Health Conditions / COVID-19 / Could COVID Infection After Age 50 Leave You Vulnerable to Shingles?

Could COVID Infection After Age 50 Leave You Vulnerable to Shingles?

had it before but who had had COVID,” Kovarik adds. “And I had multiple patients like this, and it was happening in more of my patients.”

Dr. Amesh Adalja, a senior scholar with the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, agrees.

“This is not a surprising finding as SARS-CoV-2 is known to cause immune dysfunction and physiologic stress,” Adalja says. “Physiologic stress and dysregulated immune function are known factors” in shingles outbreaks.

Are you at risk?

Nearly all adults over age 50 have had chicken pox, and therefore are at risk for developing shingles, Bhavsar said.

You May Also Like
9 Foods You Should NEVER Eat after Age 30

For this study, Bhavsar and his colleagues compared medical data from nearly 400,000 COVID patients 50 and older with more than 1.5 million people who never contracted COVID.

No one in either group had been vaccinated against either COVID or shingles.

The researchers found an elevated risk of shingles among COVID patients that persists for at least six months after their illness.

Because people vaccinated against shingles were excluded from the study, it’s not known whether the shingles vaccine could limit or eliminate this risk from COVID, Bhavsar notes.

You May Also Like
Learn About Merck's Research Studies For Patients With Kidney Cancer

Kovarik is concerned that a severe COVID infection might overcome the immunity conferred by the shingles vaccine, particularly in people with weakened immune systems.

“The shingles vaccine is just a stronger dose of the chicken pox vaccine, trying to rev up your immune cells and show them the virus so you can have some immune activity against that virus,” Kovarik says. “People who have some immune problems, maybe they’re not mounting as good of an immune reaction to the vaccine, or the COVID is so strong it can overwhelm your immune response to the shingles.”

How to protect yourself

Folks who are worried about getting shingles should consider getting both the COVID and shingles vaccines, Kovarik suggests.

“The numbers have shown that the COVID vaccine helps prevent hospitalizations and deaths, so getting a COVID vaccine should prevent a severe case, which would hopefully prevent [shingles] in those patients,” Kovarik concludes.

April 13, 2022 by Jessica Daniels

Previous pageRead Next Article

The Latest In COVID-19

COVID tests

U.S. Resumes Free COVID Test Program, Here’s How to Get Them

Americans will once again be able to get free at-home COVID tests. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced Wednesday that it will spend $600 million to buy and offer the tests, produced by 12 domestic manufacturers, read more about U.S. Resumes Free COVID Test Program, Here’s How to Get Them
covid 19 flu rsv

It’s Time to Start Preparing Against Flu, RSV & COVID-19

Kids are back in school and it's time to think about viruses, for both yourself and them. It could be an early flu season in the United States, if what happened in the Southern Hemisphere offers any insight, according to read more about It’s Time to Start Preparing Against Flu, RSV & COVID-19
COVID tests

Can You Still Get Free COVID Tests – Do They Work Against New Variants?

COVID-19 hospitalizations and deaths are gradually increasing in the United States, as two new variants gain a foothold in the nation. And with that rise, more people are looking for COVID test kits. Hospitalizations rose by nearly nine percent and read more about Can You Still Get Free COVID Tests – Do They Work Against New Variants?
COVID boosters

FDA Approves New COVID Booster Shots, Here’s What You Need to Know

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Monday gave the green light to new COVID boosters for Americans, setting the stage for the updated vaccines to become available within days. Who can take the boosters? The COVID-19 shots from Pfizer read more about FDA Approves New COVID Booster Shots, Here’s What You Need to Know
ways to boost your immune system

COVID is Back: 6 Practical Ways to Boost Your Immune System

As the world grapples with the resurgence of COVID-19, the importance of a robust immune system cannot be overstated. Our immune system is our first line of defense against viruses and illnesses, including COVID-19. In this article, we'll explore six read more about COVID is Back: 6 Practical Ways to Boost Your Immune System
covid 19 on the rise

COVID-19 Numbers Are On The Rise, How Can You Protect Yourself?

In response to the recent increase in COVID cases, many businesses and workspaces have decided to implement mask requirements again in an effort to prepare for a fall surge. CBS News reports that COVID cases have continued to rise over read more about COVID-19 Numbers Are On The Rise, How Can You Protect Yourself?

Primary Sidebar

Subscribe to our newsletter

Poll

Popular Posts

The 14 Different Types Of Headaches: Which One You’re Experiencing?

The 14 Different Types Of Headaches: Which One You’re Experiencing?

6 Things In Your Home That Can Cause Cancer

things that cause cancer

5 Amazing Things Salt Water Can Cure

salt water benefits

5 Exercise Moves That Never Work

exercise moves

3 Supplements You Should Be Taking Daily

daily report
Find a Culturally Sensitive Doctor

Footer

Where Wellness & Culture Connect

BDO is the world’s largest and most comprehensive online health resource specifically targeted to African Americans. BDO understands that the uniqueness of Black culture - our heritage and our traditions - plays a role in our health. BDO gives you access to innovative new approaches to the health information you need in everyday language so you can break through the disparities, gain control and live your life to its fullest.

Connect With Us

Learn More About

  • Hepatitis C
  • Diabetes
  • Sickle Cell
  • Mental Health
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • BlackDoctor.org Advertising and Sponsorship Policy
  • Daily Vitamina
  • TBH

Copyright © 2023, BlackDoctor, Inc. All rights reserved.