The impact of varicella zoster virus: Chronic pain

SUMMARY Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common condition that affects all age groups and both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. However, it mainly impacts elderly and immunocompromised people and is associated with important and sometimes permanent detriment to quality of life and activitie...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of clinical virology 2010-05, Vol.48, p.S8-S13
Main Authors: Opstelten, Wim, McElhaney, Janet, Weinberger, Birgit, Oaklander, Anne Louise, Johnson, Robert W
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Activities of daily living
Adult
Aged
Allergy and Immunology
Chronic Disease
Herpes Zoster - complications
Herpes Zoster - epidemiology
Herpes Zoster - prevention & control
Herpes Zoster Vaccine - immunology
Herpesvirus 3, Human - pathogenicity
Humans
Immunity, Cellular
Infectious Disease
Middle Aged
Neuralgia, Postherpetic - drug therapy
Neuralgia, Postherpetic - epidemiology
Neuralgia, Postherpetic - pathology
Neuralgia, Postherpetic - prevention & control
Pain
Pain - drug therapy
Pain - etiology
PHN
Risk Factors
Varicella-zoster virus
VZV
Young Adult
Zoster
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Summary:SUMMARY Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common condition that affects all age groups and both immunocompetent and immunocompromised individuals. However, it mainly impacts elderly and immunocompromised people and is associated with important and sometimes permanent detriment to quality of life and activities of daily living. Age-related decline in cell-mediated immunity (CMI) permits reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) from latency. The risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) can be predicted using epidemiologically identified risk factors, thus indicating which patients may benefit most from protection by appropriate means, including vaccination. Despite increasing knowledge of the pathology causing PHN, the management modalities for acute HZ pain and PHN remain inadequate. Public, and probably physician, understanding of HZ and its complications is poor, potentially leading to low utilisation of HZ vaccination and delayed presentation for treatment.
ISSN:1386-6532
1873-5967
DOI:10.1016/S1386-6532(10)70003-2