If you’ve ever had chest pain, your first thought was probably: “Is something wrong with my heart?” For people with heart disease, heart problems are a real and frightening concern. Most of the time, chest pain isn’t caused by a heart attack. There are dozens of reasons why someone may experience chest pain, and shingles is one of them.

Understanding the difference between chest pain from shingles and chest pain from a heart attack can help you know when to call your doctor or seek emergency care.

What Is Shingles?

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a painful rash caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV). VZV is the same virus that causes chickenpox. Over 99 percent of Americans born before 1980 were infected with VZV, whether they remember it or not. After recovering from chickenpox, the virus doesn’t fully leave your body. VZV lies dormant in your nerve cells for years. As you get older, or if your immune system weakens, the virus can “wake up” and cause a bout of shingles.

Shingles affects about 1 in 3 people in the United States during their lifetime. It most commonly occurs in adults over 50, but it can happen at any age.

Shingles Symptoms

Common symptoms of shingles include:

• Burning, tingling, or itching on a patch of skin
• A painful, blistering rash that appears on one side of the body
• Fevers, chills, headache, or fatigue
• Sensitivity to touch
• Pain that can last for weeks or months, even after the rash heals (postherpetic neuralgia)

If shingles develops in a nerve that runs across your chest, you may feel a sharp, stabbing, or electric pain in that area.

When shingles affects the nerves in the chest or upper back, especially before a rash appears or after it has cleared, the pain can mimic a heart problem. That’s why it’s easy to mistake it for a heart attack at first.

How Does Shingles Chest Pain Feel?

Before the shingles rash appears on your skin, people often feel pain, tingling, or burning in the affected area. These symptoms are called the “prodrome.” If shingles develops in a nerve that runs across your chest, you may feel a sharp, stabbing, or electric pain in that area. It’s important to note that the shingles rash only appears on one side of the body (either right or left). It usually follows a bandlike pattern from your spine around to the front of your chest.

Many members of MyHeartDiseaseTeam have described shingles pain as confusing or even frightening. One member described their experience with shingles: “It started as chest pain (like angina pain) on my right side. Then I woke up as if I had a sunburn on my right shoulder blade. The nerve pain goes through my chest and out my back. A few days later, the bumpy rash appeared on my right shoulder blade.”

The pain from shingles often gets worse when you touch the skin, even if clothing lightly brushes against it. Once the rash appears, usually a few days after the prodrome begins, it becomes much easier to know that your chest pain is associated with shingles.

How Does Chest Pain From a Heart Attack Feel?

Heart attack pain, also called angina, is typically caused by blocked blood flow to the heart muscle. This pain often feels deep, heavy, or squeezing. Rather than surface-level pain, it may be described more as a pressure or tightness.

Heart attack pain feels deep, heavy, or squeezing. It may be described as pressure or tightness.

Mayo Clinic describes heart attack symptoms as:

• Chest pain, pressure, or discomfort lasting more than a few minutes or that goes away and returns
• Pain or discomfort spreading to the left arm, neck, jaw, or back
• Shortness of breath
• Cold sweat, nausea, or vomiting
• Lightheadedness or fainting

Unlike shingles pain, heart attack pain is usually not limited to one side of the body. It also doesn’t cause a rash. Sometimes, angina is brought on by physical exertion or emotional stress, and it improves with rest.

However, symptoms can vary widely. Mayo Clinic has found that some people, especially women and those with diabetes, may experience atypical symptoms such as fatigue, heartburn, and shortness of breath without classic chest pain.

Key Differences Between Shingles and Heart Attack Pain

Here’s a comparison to help you understand how the two types of chest pain differ. Remember never to self-diagnose when it comes to chest pain. Always let your doctor know about chest pain.

When To Seek Emergency Care

If you have sudden chest pain, it’s safest to call 911 or go to the emergency room. It’s better to be cautious than to risk missing early signs of a life-threatening heart attack.

You should seek emergency care right away if you experience:

• Chest pain lasting more than a few minutes
• Pain that spreads to your arm, neck, jaw, or back
• Shortness of breath
• Sweating, nausea, or vomiting
• Dizziness or fainting

Doctors can perform tests such as an electrocardiogram (ECG), blood tests, and imaging to quickly determine whether your symptoms are heart-related. If it’s shingles, early treatment with antiviral medication can reduce complications and speed recovery.

Why Shingles May Affect Your Heart Health

Shingles and heart health aren’t completely unrelated. Recent research has found a connection between shingles and risk for heart attack and stroke. According to the American Heart Association, people who’ve had shingles may face a higher short-term risk of heart attack or stroke, especially in the first year after infection.

A 2025 report from the Infectious Diseases Society of America found that people who received the shingles vaccine had a lower risk of major cardiovascular events, including heart attack and stroke. This research adds to growing evidence that protecting yourself against shingles with the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) is good for both your immune system and your heart.

“You should certainly follow your doctor’s advice, but if you have ever had chickenpox, then you need the Shingrix vaccine!” said one MyHeartDiseaseTeam member.

Join the Conversation

On MyHeartDiseaseTeam, people share their experiences with heart disease, get advice, and find support from others who understand.

Have you ever experienced shingles on your chest? Let others know in the comments below.