Factors that increase your risk for contracting Shingles are as follows:
Affliction with chickenpox
The first pre-requisite that you should have before contracting shingles is that you had a history of having chickenpox infection in your childhood or in your earlier life. If you did not have chickenpox, but had the chicken pox vaccine then you have a very small risk.
Affliction with chronic and malignant diseases
If you have been suffering from chronic diseases such as diabetes mellitus or HIV infection you are prone to contract shingles because these diseases weaken your immune system. In addition, if you have been suffering from malignant diseases such as malignant lymphomas and Hodgkin’s disease and blood and lymph diseases like granulocytic leukemia and lymphosarcoma, it is very likely you will suffer from shingles as these diseases decrease your immunologic response.
Stresses and injuries
If you overworked yourself, working beyond your sleeping and resting time, you will in effect decrease your resistance, and you will easily contract shingles. Stress—be it emotional or physical—will drain your bodily armor to fight shingles. If you had physical injuries and other forms of trauma, and you cannot have daily physical exercises, with limitation of physical movements, you will suffer from shingles.
Cancer drugs
If you have been receiving drug treatment for any form of cancer, your immune system will be weakened. The drugs that control growth and spread of your tumor will also suppress the action of your immune system. In effect, you are opening up yourself to the entry and onslaught of various kinds of infections, shingles being one of them.
Immunosuppressive drugs
There are other medications that will lower your immune system. One of these are steroids. Because of their action to suppress your immune system, some diseases, especially the inflammatory ones will greatly improve with steroids. However, they also weaken your immune system inviting the entry of infections such as shingles.
Anti-rejection drugs
Those who have been a recipient of organ transplantation will most likely be taking anti-rejection drugs. Examples of these drugs are cyclosporine, azathioprine, mycophenolate mofetil, mycophemolic acid, sirolimus, and tacrolimus. If you have been taking any one or more of these drugs, then you have been weakening your immune system, and you may suffer from shingles.
Diseases of the spine
If your spine is afflicted with diseases such as tuberculosis, syphilis, spreading cancer, or history of trauma with positive history of chickenpox, you will likely develop shingles at the chest level of the said disease. However, in some cases, it is found in another level. It is then theorized that existing diseases such as those mentioned in the preceding only serve to activate shingles.
Old age
Being old is another factor that could put you at losing end. In old age there is a weakening of the immune system. Consequently, if you are over 50 years old, you are prone to suffer from infectious diseases, such as shingles.
