Researchers link shingles to increased risk of stroke

(NEWSCHANNEL 3) - British researchers say people who had shingles before the age of 40 are 74-percent more likely to suffer a stroke later in life.

Patients over the age of 40 carry a 15-percent higher risk.

Researchers are not sure of the reason.

Shingles is a painful rash triggered by the same virus that causes chickenpox.