A 74-year-old white man presented with unilateral radicular pain extending across the left side of his chest and back. A diagnosis of postherpetic neuralgia, a sequela of herpes zoster, was made. Herpes zoster represents a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus that lies dormant in patients with past chickenpox. Risk factors for the disease include advanced age, stress, immunodeficiency, an...

For some patients, herpes zoster infections not only result in acute pain but serious consequences, including postherpetic neuralgia and damage to ocular tissues. Some authors have recommended corticosteroids for the treatment of these acute symptoms and complications. The literature concerning the use of corticosteroids for herpes zoster, however, either provides conflicting results or include...

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common complication of herpes zoster, frequently unresponsive to most available treatment. The disease is especially difficult to manage in elderly people and has a great impact on the quality of life of patients. Narrow band ultraviolet B radiation may play a role in the prevention and treatment of PHN. Present paper describes a case of a 59 year-old female pa...

Background: Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is persistent pain in the affected dermatome that occurs more than three months after eruption of herpes zoster has disappeared. Vitamin D a role Schwann cell regeneration and stimulates release nerve growth factors.

INTRODUCTION Postherpetic neuralgia and segmental paresis represent rare complications of herpes zoster infection. Recurrent herpes zoster is also rare and occurs within the first 3 years of the beginning of the illness in only 1.40% of cases but it is generally higher in cases of chronic lymphatic leukemia (3.5%). CASE REPORT We presented a patient with lymphatic leukemia who during the remi...

During the early stage of postherpetic neuralgia, an epidural block on the affected segment is helpful in controlling pain and preventing progression to a chronic state. The main neurologic complication following an epidural block is cord compression symptom due to an epidural hematoma. When neurologic complications arise from an epidural block for the treatment of postherpetic neuralgia, it is...

Herpes zoster (HZ) results from the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus latent in the sensory ganglia when cell-mediated immunity is altered. It is a frequent condition in older adults, leading to undesirable adverse outcomes. Aging is its main risk factor and the elderly may have different clinical presentations: zoster sine herpete, and a higher incidence of post-herpetic neuralgia (15...

OBJECTIVES Herpes zoster has been widely described in the context of different systemic autoimmune diseases but not dermatomyositis/polymyositis. Therefore, we analyzed the prevalence, risk factors and herpes zoster outcomes in this population. METHOD A retrospective cohort study of herpes zoster infections in dermatomyositis/polymyositis patients was performed. The patients were followed at ...

Neuropathic pain involving an upper extremitymay be due to avarietyof peripheral or central neuropathies such as cervical radiculopathy, carpal tunnel syndrome, diabetic polyneuropathy, postherpetic neuralgia, human immunodeficiency virus–related neuropathies, central post-stroke pain, multiple sclerosis, and spinal cord injury. Montgomery et al present an interesting case of a patient with cer...

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES Herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia increasing incidence is related to ageing. These conditions can be very debilitating and have an important impact in patients' quality of life. In an ageing population like the Portuguese, is expected that the burden of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia rises, nevertheless, a specific surveillance system for zoster do...