BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia are known to have a profound effect on the patient's quality of life, but the incidence and severity of itch and its relation with pain and quality of life in the long term are still relatively unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure the presence and severity of pain and itch and impact on quality of life in patients over 50 years old with HZ. METHODS: We enrolled 661 patients with HZ in this 12-month observational study. Patient data were collected via a web-based questionnaire. Outcomes were pain, itch, burden of illness, impact on patient's daily life, impact on quality of life, and healthcare costs. RESULTS: At inclusion, 94% of patients reported any pain, 74.3% significant pain, and 26% severe pain. After 3 months, 18.8% of patients suffered from postherpetic neuralgia. At inclusion, 70.8% of patients had any itch, 39.2% significant itch, and 7.3% severe itch. The occurrence of pain increases costs and has a high impact on the quality of life, lowering EQ-5D scores by an average of 18%. In contrast, itch has little effect on the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS: Pain and itch are highly prevalent months after HZ. Pain caused by HZ has a large impact on quality of life, burden of illness, impact on daily life, and health care costs for these patients. The impact of itch on quality of life is relatively small.
BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia are known to have a profound effect on the patient's quality of life, but the incidence and severity of itch and its relation with pain and quality of life in the long term are still relatively unknown. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to measure the presence and severity of pain and itch and impact on quality of life in patients over 50 years old with HZ. METHODS: We enrolled 661 patients with HZ in this 12-month observational study. Patient data were collected via a web-based questionnaire. Outcomes were pain, itch, burden of illness, impact on patient's daily life, impact on quality of life, and healthcare costs. RESULTS: At inclusion, 94% of patients reported any pain, 74.3% significant pain, and 26% severe pain. After 3 months, 18.8% of patients suffered from postherpetic neuralgia. At inclusion, 70.8% of patients had any itch, 39.2% significant itch, and 7.3% severe itch. The occurrence of pain increases costs and has a high impact on the quality of life, lowering EQ-5D scores by an average of 18%. In contrast, itch has little effect on the quality of life. CONCLUSIONS:Pain and itch are highly prevalent months after HZ. Pain caused by HZ has a large impact on quality of life, burden of illness, impact on daily life, and health care costs for these patients. The impact of itch on quality of life is relatively small.
Authors: Hilary C Tanenbaum; Anna Lawless; Lina S Sy; Vennis Hong; Bradley Ackerson; Katia Bruxvoort; Yi Luo; Hung Fu Tseng Journal: J Pain Res Date: 2020-07-13 Impact factor: 3.133
Authors: Joon Hyung Kim; John Diaz-Decaro; Ning Jiang; Shinn-Jang Hwang; Eun Ju Choo; Maribel Co; Andrew Hastie; David Shu Cheong Hui; Junya Irimajiri; Jacob Lee; Edward Man-Fuk Leung; Haiwen Tang; Tomomi Tsuru; Philip Watson; Zhenhua Wu; Chong-Jen Yu; Yanfei Yuan; Toufik Zahaf; Anthony L Cunningham; Anne Schuind Journal: Hum Vaccin Immunother Date: 2021-02-19 Impact factor: 3.452
Authors: Pieter T de Boer; Alies van Lier; Hester de Melker; Albert J M van Wijck; Jan C Wilschut; Albert Jan van Hoek; Maarten J Postma Journal: BMC Med Date: 2018-12-06 Impact factor: 8.775