A Clinical Study of Herpes Zoster: Focused on the Characteristics of Pruritus in Herpes Zoster / 대한피부과학회지

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster is a common dermatologic disorder. However, there have been no reported studies of the characteristics of pruritus in herpes zoster in Korean literature. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to investigate the epidemiological features and clinical characteristics of pruritus in herpes zoster. METHODS: Retrospective study was performed by reviewing the medical records of 178 patients with herpes zoster. The analyses of age, gender, accompanying symptoms, dermatomal distribution, underlying disease, treatment and complication were performed. RESULTS: The ratio of male to female patients was 23. The age distribution ranged from 1 to 87 years old. A total of 76.4% of the patients with herpes zoster experienced pruritus, and 18.4% of the patient with pruritus had pruritus that disrupted normal activities. There were no relationships between the incidence of pruritus and age of patients, gender, dermatomal distribution, and incidence of pain. As the severity of pain increased, the incidence and the severity of pruritus increased (p=0.01, p=0.01). Pruritus was improved within 3 weeks in the 74.3% of the patients with pruritus; however, 9.6% of the patients felt complaint with pruritus over 6 weeks. The duration of the pruritus extended with advancing age (p=0.01). As the severity of pruritus and pain increased, the duration of pruritus increased (p=0.025). CONCLUSION: Pruritus is a common symptom in herpes zoster, and this study describes the general aspects of pruritus in herpes zoster. Advancing age and the severity of the pruritus and the pain are possible risk factors of long-lasting pruritus.