Post-herpetic neuralgia is the most common complication of herpes zoster virus infection. Post-herpetic neuralgia is the pain that remains after shingles has healed, or it is pain that comes back after the skin changes heal. It is pain that dominates the course of shingles neuralgia, but there are also other symptoms. Find out what treatment for Shingles Neurlagia is, and how to relieve pain.

Post-herpetic neuralgiais the most common complication ofHerpes zoster . After childhood chickenpox, the virus that causes this disease does not disappear from the body, but enters the spinal ganglia, where it may remain hidden for many years. It reactivates in some patients when the immune system is weakened (such as in the elderly), causing shingles. This infection can damage the sensory fibers as well as the motor fibers, resulting in the pain syndrome. It is post-herpetic neuralgia, which occurs in 9-14% of patients. patients with a history of shingles, and its incidence clearly correlates with age. In patients aged 65-74, it occurs with a frequency of 11%, in patients over 75 - with a frequency of 18%, and in patients aged 45-54 - in 4%. patients .¹

Post-herpetic neuralgia - causes and risk factors

The cause of the disease is the virusHerpes zoster . The risk factors for the occurrence of shingles neuralgia, apart from the patient's age, are also:

  • occurrence of pain before the rash
  • diabetes
  • cancer
  • very severe shingles
  • coexistence of diseases affecting the patient's immunity

Post-herpetic neuralgia - symptoms

The predominant symptom of shingles neuralgia is pain which:

  • can be permanent or panic
  • run with periods of exacerbation caused, inter alia, by by cold or stress
  • is described as burning, stinging, stinging and shooting
  • A factor that can trigger a severe pain attack is clothing tightly attached to the body

Pain sometimes subsides spontaneously within a few months, but in some patients it persists for years and lasts for the rest of their lives, being a source of suffering, sleep disorders and leading to the development of depression and a significant reduction in qualitylife.

Besides, in the place of skin lesions, there are also sensory disorders of the following type:

  • hypoesthesia, i.e. reducing the feeling of touch and temperature
  • hyperalgesia, i.e. hypersensitivity to mechanical and thermal stimuli
  • allodynia, i.e. pain caused by tactile stimuli

How do you recognize shingles? See [TOWIDEO]

Post-herpetic neuralgia - treatment

The treatment includes antidepressants, anticonvulsants, opioids, surfactants and others

Invasive techniques used in the treatment of shingles neuralgia are:

  • infiltration blocks of individual nerves with the use of local anesthesia (LAs)
  • epidural route of drug administration
  • you can also use the spinal cord stimulation technique

We also have non-pharmacological methods for the treatment of PHN:

  • electrotherapy: TENS currents (transcutaneous nerve stimulation) - this method is based on the action of low-frequency impulse currents, close to the frequency of physiological currents. TENS does not treat the root causes of pain, but it does significantly reduce the perception of pain
  • acupuncture - a method of treatment that involves piercing the body with needles
  • cognitive behavioral therapy

Bibliography:

1. Wordliczek J., Zajączkowska R., Dobrogowski J., Pharmacological treatment of neuropathic pain, "Polish Neurological Review" 2011

Category:

Neurology