June 23, 2012

Children With Asthma at Higher Risk for Shingles: Study

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Children with asthma have a higher risk for developing shingles -- a painful skin rash -- following infection with the herpes zoster virus, new research reveals. The authors noted that 1 million Americans are estimated to be infected with the herpes zoster virus every year. However, typically it's a problem that strikes men and women over the age of 60 or people with weakened immune systems… "It had previously been unknown whether asthma status poses an increased risk of shingles among children," study author Dr. Young Juhn, a pediatrician at Mayo Clinic Children's Center in Rochester, Minn., said in an academy news release. "These results suggest that asthma significantly increases the risk for shingles in children."

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Tags: asthma, Dr. Young Juhn, herpes zoster virus, Immunology, Mayo Clinic Children's Center, Mayo Clinic Rochester, Pediatrics, shingles

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