Definition

Noun: 1. A viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a limited area, typically on one side of the body, following the path of a nerve. It is caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. 2. (In medicine) The medical term for shingles.

Usage and Examples

• The patient was diagnosed with zoster after developing a blistering rash on his torso.
• Zoster, commonly known as shingles, can cause significant pain long after the rash has healed, a condition called postherpetic neuralgia.
• The doctor explained that zoster occurs when the dormant chickenpox virus reactivates in the nerve tissues.

Advanced Usage

• Herpes zoster: This is the full medical term for the disease. "Herpes" refers to the creeping nature of the skin lesions, and "zoster" comes from the Greek word for girdle or belt, describing the rash's common pattern.
  • The vaccination is highly effective in preventing herpes zoster in older adults.
• Zoster sine herpete: A rare condition where the pain of zoster occurs without the development of the characteristic rash.
  • Diagnosing zoster sine herpete is challenging as there is no visible rash to confirm the infection.

Variants and Related Words

• Shingles: The common, non-medical term for the condition caused by the zoster virus.
• Varicella-zoster virus (VZV): The specific virus that causes both chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (zoster).
• Postherpetic neuralgia: A complication of zoster involving persistent nerve pain after the rash has cleared.

Synonyms

• Shingles
• Herpes zoster (full medical term)

Notes on Meaning

The term zoster is used almost exclusively in medical and scientific contexts. In everyday conversation, the condition is universally referred to as shingles. The word originates from the Greek zōstēr, meaning "girdle," which describes the belt-like pattern the rash can form around the torso.

Noun

1. eruptions along a nerve path often accompanied by severe neuralgia