Acute herpetic and postherpetic neuralgia: clinical features and management.

Herpes zoster is a prevalent disorder that is transitory in most patients. Postherpetic neuralgia is defined by the persistence of pain following herpes zoster for some arbitrarily defined period, such as two months. Although most patients with postherpetic neuralgia experience a gradual remission of the pain, symptoms are prolonged in many, and intractable pain occurs in a few. This review describes the clinical characteristics and management of these syndromes.