[Clinical course of herpes zoster in middle-aged and elderly persons].

The clinical progress of herpes zoster (HZ) was studied in 216 patients under 60 years and in elderly and senile persons. A clear relationship was revealed between the gravity of the clinical progress of HZ and the patients' age. The number of patients with grave HZ patterns and with HZ of medium gravity was found to be increasing in elderly and senile persons. It was also established that HZ took a graver course in patients aggravated with concomitant pathology. The concomitant diseases are demonstrated to have a multifactorial aggravating effect on the progress of HZ.