Q: I’m only in my 30s or 40s. Should I be worried about shingles?
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A: Most people think shingles is something that happens after retirement. In fact, many younger adults are surprised when they’re diagnosed because they assumed they were “too young.”
The good news is that shingles is still much more common after age 50. However, physicians are seeing cases in younger adults, including people in their 30s and 40s.
Shingles develops when the virus that causes chickenpox becomes active again years after the original infection. Anyone who has had chickenpox carries the virus, but not everyone will develop shingles. Researchers are still working to understand why some people experience it earlier than others.