Gershon A A
Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY 10032, USA.
Semin Dermatol. 1996 Jun;15(2 Suppl 1):8-13.
Herpes zoster occurs rarely in immunocompetent children and infrequently in immunocompetent young adults. However, its incidence increases with age, particularly after age 50. Reactivation of varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is characterized by a rash and is generally accompanied by considerable pain, dysesthesias, and skin hypersensitivity. Chronic pain that is sometimes experienced after the rash has healed is referred to as postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication of herpes zoster. Postherpetic neuralgia is often severe and, unfortunately, refractory to most forms of treatment. The incidence of PHN also increases dramatically with increased age. More than 50% of zoster patients over 60 years old will develop PHN, which may persist for months and even years. Thus, established PHN is difficult to manage, often causing serious morbidity, depression, and high costs in terms of consumption of healthcare resources. Currently, early antiviral treatment with famciclovir has shown promise of reducing the duration of PHN.
带状疱疹在免疫功能正常的儿童中很少见，在免疫功能正常的年轻人中也不常见。然而，其发病率随年龄增长而增加，尤其是在50岁以后。水痘-带状疱疹病毒（VZV）的再激活表现为皮疹，通常伴有相当程度的疼痛、感觉异常和皮肤过敏。皮疹愈合后有时会出现的慢性疼痛被称为带状疱疹后神经痛（PHN），这是带状疱疹最常见的并发症。带状疱疹后神经痛通常很严重，不幸的是，对大多数治疗形式都难以治愈。带状疱疹后神经痛的发病率也随着年龄的增长而急剧增加。60岁以上的带状疱疹患者中超过50%会发生带状疱疹后神经痛，这种疼痛可能会持续数月甚至数年。因此，已确诊的带状疱疹后神经痛很难治疗，常常会导致严重的发病率、抑郁，以及在医疗资源消耗方面产生高昂成本。目前，使用泛昔洛韦进行早期抗病毒治疗已显示出有望缩短带状疱疹后神经痛的病程。
