Shingles Cases in Under-50 Americans Quadrupled as a 43-Year-Old Author Details Stress-Linked Illness
Updated
Updated · The Cut · Jul 2
Shingles Cases in Under-50 Americans Quadrupled as a 43-Year-Old Author Details Stress-Linked Illness
1 articles · Updated · The Cut · Jul 2
Summary
At 43, the author was diagnosed with a severe case of shingles after rib pain and a stomach bump turned into a spreading rash, which her doctor linked to marathon-training stress and a weakened immune system.
A weeklong course of Valtrex began after the diagnosis, but the rash wrapped from her rib cage to her back and nerve pain, itching and tickling sensations persisted six weeks later, forcing her to cancel marathon plans.
A 2016 study found shingles cases in Americans under 50 quadrupled from the late 1940s to the early 2000s, and a March 2026 study said younger adults with conditions such as depression, diabetes, lung disease and asthma can face higher risk than healthy people in their 50s.
Women in their 30s and 40s appear especially exposed because they get shingles more often than men and often face heavy work and caregiving stress, according to researchers cited in the report.
The vaccine is generally offered from age 50, though some researchers want broader access for younger adults; out-of-pocket cost runs about $470 to $600 for two doses, while only 1 in 5 eligible 50-year-olds had received both doses as of 2024.