Effect of Preoperative Level of Glycemic Control with Pulsed Radiofrequency on the Incidence of Postherpetic Neuralgia in Patients with Herpes Zoster Combined with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Cohort Study.

Abstract

To investigate the correlation between the level of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). This cohort study included 100 patients with herpes zoster (HZ) undergoing treatment with pulsed radiofrequency (PRF). Patients with comorbid type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) were divided into three groups based on their glycemic control levels: good [HbA1c < 7% (53.01mmol/mol), group D1], fair [7% (53.01mmol/mol) ≤ HbA1c < 9% (74.86mmol/mol), group D2], and poor [9% (74.86mmol/mol) ≤ HbA1c, group D3]. The control group (group N) consisted of patients without T2DM. The main outcome measured was the occurrence of PHN in the four groups. A total of 90 patients were included in the cohort. The occurrence of PHN was found to be higher in groups D2 and D3 when compared to group N (N vs D2, P = 0.007; N vs D3, P < 0.001). Furthermore, the occurrence of PHN was higher in groups D2 and D3 in comparison to group D1 (D1 vs D2, P = 0.022; D1 vs D3, P < 0.001), with the incidence of PHN in group D3 being greater than in group D2 (P < 0.001). Preoperative HbA1c predicts the incidence of PHN after PRF in T2DM patients.