Evaluation of the Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Diagnosed with Herpes Zoster

Abstract

Background: Herpes zoster is a disease that is more frequently seen in people aged over 50 years and negatively affects the quality of life due to the development of post-herpetic neuralgia. This study aimed to investigate the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients diagnosed with herpes zoster. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the data of patients who were followed up with a diagnosis of herpes zoster at the dermatology department between 2013 and 2020 were retrospectively examined. Results: Of 440 patients, 252 (57.3%) were female and 188 (42.7%) were male. The mean age was 48.9±18 (4-94) years. The most common localization was the thoracic region at a rate of 35.5% and the lumbar region at a rate of 21.4%. Disseminated and ophthalmic zoster were more common in elderly patients (p<0.001). The most common comorbidities were hypertension (HT)+coronary artery disease (CAD) (12.6%), cancer (10.3%), and diabetes+HT (5.9%). Severe pain was observed in 19.7% of the patients and was more common in women (p=0.016). The rate of moderate and severe pain was high in the patients with HT+CAD and cancer (p˂0.001). Post-herpetic neuralgia was observed in 15.3% of the patients aged over 50. Conclusions: Herpes zoster is especially common in adults. Since it causes acute pain and can lead to postherpetic neuralgia development, risky patient groups should be more carefully followed up and treated.