• Aki Fujiwara, Keisuke Watanabe, Kie Yoshimura, Yuji Yamamura, Mitsuru Ida, and Masahiko Kawaguchi.
• Department of Anesthesiology, Nara Medical University, 840 Shijocho, Kashihara, Nara, 634-8522, Japan. k119682@naramed-u.ac.jp.
• J Anesth. 2023 Aug 1; 37 (4): 589595589-595.

PurposeThe objective of this study was to examine the association between pain catastrophizing in acute phase herpes zoster and the development of postherpetic neuralgia.MethodsThe medical records of all patients diagnosed with herpes zoster between February 2016 and December 2021 were retrieved. Inclusion criteria were patients aged > 50 years who visited our pain center within 60 days after rash onset and reported a pain intensity of ≥ 3 in a numerical rating scale. Patients with a score of 30 or more in the pain catastrophizing scale at baseline were assigned to the catastrophizer group, and those with a score < 30 were assigned to the non-catastrophizer group. We defined patients with "postherpetic neuralgia" and "severe postherpetic neuralgia" as those with a numerical rating scale score of 3 or more and 7 or more at 3 months after baseline, respectively.ResultsData of 189 patients were available for complete analysis. Age, baseline numerical rating scale, and prevalence of anxiety and depression were significantly higher in the catastrophizer than those in the non-catastrophizer group. Incidence of postherpetic neuralgia did not differ significantly between the groups (p = 0.26). Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that age, severe pain at baseline, and immunosuppressive state were the factors which were independently associated with developing postherpetic neuralgia. Severe pain at baseline was the only factor related to developing severe postherpetic neuralgia.ConclusionPain catastrophizing in the acute phase of herpes zoster may not be related to the development of postherpetic neuralgia.© 2023. The Author(s) under exclusive licence to Japanese Society of Anesthesiologists.

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