Varicella zoster virus can cause hidden illnesses decades after chickenpox

The varicella zoster virus (VZV), responsible for chickenpox, can remain dormant in nerve cells for decades after the initial infection. While the immune system typically keeps the virus under control, aging or weakened immunity can trigger reactivation.

While shingles is the most common result of reactivation, a review published in ‘Nature Reviews Disease Primers’ highlights that VZV can cause a wide range of hidden or multisystem illnesses. Because the virus can move inward along nerves rather than toward the skin, it can cause neurological or internal issues without producing a visible rash.

Potential complications include persistent nerve pain (postherpetic neuralgia), facial paralysis, inflammation of blood vessels supplying the brain, increased stroke risk, vasculopathy, and myelopathy. More than 90% of the global population carries dormant VZV, and approximately one-third of those individuals are expected to experience reactivation during their lifetime.