Postherpetic neuralgia in the elderly

Postherpetic neuralgia in the elderly

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication of herpes zoster (HZ) or 'shingles' and affects a significant proportion of HZ patients with the disease, with the elderly being most frequently and seriously affected. Characterised by various types of pain (constant, intermittent and stimulus evoked) that persist between 3 months and many years after the resolution of the HZ rash, P...

Postherpetic neuralgia.

Postherpetic Neuralgia and Trigeminal Neuralgia

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is an unpredictable complication of varicella zoster virus- (VZV-) induced herpes zoster (HZ) which often occurs in elderly and immunocompromised persons and which can induce psychosocial dysfunction and can negatively impact on quality of life. Preventive options for PHN include vaccination of high-risk persons against HZ, early use of antiviral agents, and robust ...

Treatment of postherpetic neuralgia.

Herpes zoster, a commonly seen condition in daily medical practice, is reported to occur in 10–20% of the population at some time during the lifespan. Chronic, intractable postherpetic neuralgia, a sequela of herpes zoster, presents a clinical challenge. In recent years, effective antiviral agents that can be used in the outpatient setting have been developed for the treatment of herpes zoster ...

The management of postherpetic neuralgia.

Postherpetic neuralgia is defined as pain persisting, or recurring, at the site of shingles at least three months after the onset of the acute rash. Thus defined, at least half of shingles sufferers over the age of 65 years develop postherpetic neuralgia. In addition to increasing age, less important risk factors for postherpetic neuralgia are pain severity of acute shingles and trigeminal dist...