Herpes zoster: correlation of age, sex, distribution, neuralgia, and associated disorders.

The influence of sex and age on the distribution of lesions, incidence of postherpetic neuralgia, and related disorders in herpes zoster is reported. Results were obtained by reviewing the records of 140 outpatients with herpes zoster seen over a ten-year period. Trigeminal involvement and post-herpetic neuralgia were more common in patients over 50 years of age. The most common sites of lesions in all ages were the thoracic dermatomes, between T-1 and T-8. The distribution of lesions and the incidence of postherpetic neuralgia did not vary between the sexes. High incidences of diabetes and cataracts were found to be associated with herpes zoster infection. Clinical carcinoma of the prostate was a frequent finding in men with herpes zoster over age 50. In those patients with malignancies, there was no correlation between distribution of zoster lesions and location of malignancy.