U.S. shingles statistics

Nearly 1 million Americans receive medical care for shingles or its complications each year, according to the latest News and Numbers from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Shingles comes from an infection with varicella-zoster virus - the same virus that causes chicken pox - and can result in burning or shooting pain, tingling or itching. However, unlike chicken pox, shingles is not contagious.

AHRQ's survey found that:

• Americans make 2.1 million doctor visits a year because of shingles or its complications.
• The average cost for treating shingles is $525 per person or $566 million each year (in 2005 dollars), including prescription medicines.
• People age 65 and older are seven times more likely to get shingles than the non-elderly – (1.5 percent compared with 0.2 percent, respectively).

AHRQ, which is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, works to enhance the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care in the United States. The data in this AHRQ News and Numbers summary are taken from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a detailed source of information on the health services used by Americans, the frequency with which they are used, the cost of those services, and how they are paid.