Shingles, like chickenpox, are thought to attack only once in a person's lifetime. rift gold But that is not the case according to new research published in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings in February.

Varicella zoster virus, which first causes chickenpox, is never completely eradicated from some of the nerve cells in the body -- leaving the chance for shingles. Chickenpox usually infects children, but shingles -- which produces a painful rash on one side of the body or face -- most often strikes later in life, although even kids can have it.

It's unclear what brings the herpes virus back, but compromised immune systems are a risk factor and even stress is thought to play a role. Nearly 1 out of every 3 Americans will develop shingles at some point in their lives.

Researchers at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn. have found that after patients have shingles, RIFT Platinum they are not necessarily protected from another outbreak, the Wall Street Journal reports.

"It's been thought that recurrences were limited to people with compromised immune systems, for instance from chemotherapy or blood borne malignancies, Rift Gold but this is not the case," lead author, Dr. Barbara Yawn, director of research at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, said in a statement. "Recurrence was prevalent in the immunocompetent population. We were very surprised by the results."

Yawn and her team went through medical records of nearly 1,700 patients who had a bout of shingles, which causes not only a skin rash but also serious pain. RIFT Platinum In the next eight to 12 years, more than 5 percent of patients had a recurrence, and some had gotten it as many as three times. Yawn hypothesized that following the patients for longer periods of time would find an even high recurrence rate.

The chances of a recurrence seemed to be related to two factors. Although 50 percent of shingles cases occur in people over 60, age didn't seem to be a factor. Instead, the pain a patient had during the first episode of shingles seemed to determine if it would return. rift gold Those who had pain, which can include burning or tingling of the skin, itching chills, upset stomach and blisters for more than 30 days were most likely to get it again. Patients with the worst pain were also more likely to have shingles roar back in just three to four years.

The shingles vaccine, Zostavax, which is currently recommended for people 60 and older, could help fight off a second occurrence, according to the researchers.

"We'd thought that suffering a worse case would possibly give patients more resistance to a second occurrence," said Yawn, "but our data presented the exact opposite."

The vaccine produced by Merck, which also funded part of the study, works by boosting the immune system to keep the pre-existing virus in check, according to the Wall St. Journal. RIFT Platinum There have been some backorders of the vaccine, making it difficult to get in some areas, but Merck expects to have more supply in coming years.