Zoster sine herpete: it would be rash to ignore it

Kennedy, P.G.E. (2011) Zoster sine herpete: it would be rash to ignore it. Neurology, 76(5), pp. 416-417. (doi: 10.1212/WNL.0b013e31820a0d5d)

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Publisher's URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e31820a0d5d

Abstract

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is an exclusively human neurotropic herpesvirus that causes varicella (chickenpox) during primary infection, after which the virus becomes latent in cranial nerve, dorsal root, and autonomic ganglia along the entire neuraxis. 1 Decades later, virus may reactivate to cause herpes zoster (shingles), an extremely painful vesicular skin rash confined to one or more sensory dermatomes. 2 The incidence of zoster is increased in elderly and immunosuppressed individuals. The most important complication of zoster is postherpetic neuralgia, severe dermatomal pain that is long-lasting and refractory to treatment, and is most common in zoster patients over the age of 50 years. 1 VZV reactivation can also lead to multiple other neurologic and ocular disorders, including vasculopathy, myelopathy, the Ramsay Hunt syndrome, meningoencephalitis, polyneuritis cranialis, cerebellitis, and necrotizing retinitis. 2

Item Type:Articles (Editorial)
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Kennedy, Professor Peter
Authors: Kennedy, P.G.E.
College/School:College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Infection & Immunity
Journal Name:Neurology
ISSN:0028-3878

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