BACKGROUND Herpes Zoster is a disease that occurs after the virus is reactivated due to infection of the varicella virus in childhood. Risk factors are advanced age, malignant neoplasm, organ transplantation, immunosuppressive agents taking are known. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the seasonal effect and other risk factors on the incidence of herpes zoste...

The risk for herpes zoster (HZ) in acute kidney injury (AKI) survivors was never explored. We identified 2,387 adults in the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database who recovered from dialysis-requiring AKI and matched them with non-recovery and non-AKI patients by propensity score. During a mean follow-up of 2.7 years, the incidences of HZ were 6.9, 8.2 and 4.8 episodes per 1,000 pe...

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on 1541 HIV-infected patients to determine variables associated with the incidence of herpes zoster. A single failure Cox model showed that herpes zoster incidence increased following the first 6 months of antiretroviral treatment adjusted hazard ratio (AHR)=5 (95%CI=2.6-9.2), P<0.001; in the >60 years age group AHR=2 (95%CI=1-4), P=0.04; in patients i...

TOPIC The incidence and morbidity of herpes zoster (HZ) and HZ ophthalmicus (HZO), and the potential impact of varicella vaccine on their epidemiology. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Herpes zoster affects 20% to 30% of the population at some point in their lifetime; approximately 10% to 20% of these individuals will have HZO. METHODS The peer-reviewed literature published from 1865 to the present was r...

This retrospective study was designed to assess the effects of acyclovir treatment of acute herpes zoster on subsequent postherpetic neuralgia, and to examine the effects of amitriptyline in the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia. Eighty seven patients with postherpetic neuralgia of three or more months' duration were studied: 24 of them had had their herpes zoster treated with oral acyclovir....

After herpes zoster, immunocompetent persons frequently experience chronic pain and considerable suffering. Zoster-associated pain has a complex pathophysiology that begins with viral damage and increased sensitization of peripheral sensory neurons. The enhanced afferent barrage from these neurons sensitizes spinal neurons and leads to loss of synapses from descending inhibitory fibers, resulti...

OBJECTIVE Acyclovir prophylaxis has been considered as mandatory for patients receiving bortezomib because herpes zoster is a common adverse event associated with the use of bortezomib. Although the minimal effective dose of acyclovir for prophylaxis has not yet established, the efficacy of low-dose acyclovir prophylaxis, 400 mg once daily, has been suggested. METHODS We retrospectively revie...

Makzal Z, Edwards M. BMJ Case Rep 2017. doi:10.1136/bcr-2017-222112 Description A girl aged 15 months presented with a 2-day history of fatigue and fever, along with a vesicular rash over her right eye and forehead (see figure 1). Swabs were sent for PCR and were positive for varicella zoster DNA, and a working diagnosis of herpes zoster ophthalmicus was made. There was no history of varicella ...

In a search for past or present infection with herpes viruses, serum antibody titres to herpes simplex type 1 virus, cytomegalovirus, and varicella-zoster virus were measured by complement fixation test in 58 patients with achalasia. Serum was also taken from 40 age and sex matched patients without oesophageal symptoms who formed a control group. All titres were low, and those for herpes simple...

BACKGROUND The incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) is increasing and poses a significant health concern to aging populations. Several studies suggest an increased risk of stroke following zoster infection, but the results are conflicting. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to determine if stroke risk is increased following HZ infection. METHODS A search of MEDLINE, EMBASE, Google ...