Incidence of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in Italian adults aged ≥50 years: A prospective study.

ABSTRACT: Herpes zoster (HZ) mainly affects older adults and immunocompromised individuals and is usually characterized by a unilateral painful skin rash. Its most common complication, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), may cause chronic debilitating pain lasting for months or years. This study (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01772160) aimed to estimate the HZ incidence and the proportion of HZ patients with PHN in the Italian population aged 50 years or older. From 2013 to 2016, HZ-patients were recruited when presenting with acute HZ at 75 reporting general practitioners in Italy, covering 43,875 persons aged ≥50 years. PHN was defined as 'worst pain' rated ≥ 3 on the Zoster Brief Pain Inventory persisting or appearing over 90 days after rash onset. The overall HZ incidence rate per 1000 person-year

SUBMITTER: Salvetti A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6522697 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature