A member asked:

Can you get shingles if you have had chickenpox . my 23 daughter has just been diagnosed with them?

4 doctors weighed in across 3 answers
Dr. Joel Gallant answered

Specializes in Infectious Disease

Yes: You must have had prior exposure to the varicella zoster virus to get shingles, and the majority of people who have been exposed to the virus have had overt chickenpox. I can't tell which your daughter has been diagnosed with: shingles or chickenpox. Anyone diagnosed with shingles, especially otherwise healthy young adults, should be tested for hiv, since it can increase the risk.

Answered 12/28/2013

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Yes: Essentially all of the patients with shingles have had either wild chickenpox or the vaccine at some point in their life. The shingles represents a brief and localized re-activation of the virus that went into hibernation after the first illness or vaccine.

Answered 12/27/2013

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Dr. Robert Killian answered

Specializes in General Practice

Shingles: Yes. That is what shingles is: a reactivation of a previous chicken pox infection.

Answered 12/27/2013

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Related Questions

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Can you get chickenpoxs after you've had shingles?

A doctor has provided 1 answer

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Do people ever get shingles if they never had chickenpox?

7 doctors weighed in across 2 answers