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Herpes zoster and quality of life

Although herpes zoster is a self-limited disease, usually resolving in under 2 months, the pain can be severe and intractable. This pain markedly interferes with the patient's ability to perform normal daily activities and with quality of life.

This study enrolled 50 patients with herpes zoster from four multispecialty practices, two each from the east and west coasts of the United States. Mean age was 70 years (range, 54 to 94). Approximately one-half were enrolled within a week of the onset of pain or rash and 80% within 2 weeks of onset.

We collected information on demographics and comorbidities at baseline and data on the extent and site of the lesions weekly. Extent of lesions was determined by tracing the involved area for each patient and calculating the actual area (in cm2) by computer and digitizing pad. Questions on comorbidities were used to compute the Charlson Comorbidity Index, [1] a commonly used index of comorbidity that was originally developed as a predictor of mortality.

The Wisconsin Brief Pain Inventory …