Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America
-
Herpes zoster (HZ) strikes millions of older adults annually worldwide and disables a substantial number of them via postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Key age-related clinical, epidemiological, and treatment features of zoster and PHN are reviewed. ⋯ Recently, attempts to reduce or eliminate HZ pain have been bolstered by the findings of clinical trials that antiviral agents and corticosteroids are effective treatment for HZ and that tricyclic antidepressants, topical lidocaine, gabapentin, and opiates are effective treatment for PHN. Although these advances have helped, PHN remains a difficult condition to prevent and treat in many elderly patients.
-
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) frequently causes severe infections in patients who have undergone bone marrow transplantation. The frequency of, characteristics of, and risk factors for this infection were studied in 164 patients undergoing autologous peripheral blood progenitor cell transplantation (PBPCT). Twenty-six patients (15.8%) developed VZV infection, and the actuarial risk was 10% at 1 year. ⋯ Patients with both these adverse factors had an actuarial risk of VZV of 48% at 1 year. Patients with deficiency in both CD4(+) and CD8(+) lymphocytes are at high risk of VZV infection. These patients should be considered as candidates for preventive therapy, but whether for antiviral therapy or vaccination remains to be investigated.