{"id":2421,"date":"2023-03-02T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-02T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mdbc2.wpenginepowered.com\/blog\/herpes-zoster-hz-complications-and-prevention-strategies\/"},"modified":"2023-03-02T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2023-03-02T05:00:00","slug":"herpes-zoster-hz-complications-and-prevention-strategies","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.mdbriefcase.com\/fr\/blog\/herpes-zoster-hz-complications-and-prevention-strategies\/","title":{"rendered":"Herpes Zoster (HZ) Complications and Prevention Strategies"},"content":{"rendered":"

Herpes zoster is a vaccine-preventable disease that can result in long-term and serious complications. This program will discuss the most likely potential complications associated with HZ and which people are at high risk of complications, and will also review NACI recommendations for vaccination against HZ.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What is herpes zoster? Who is at risk?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Herpes zoster, more commonly known as shingles, is a condition that causes painful rashes to appear on the skin. These rashes usually last between two to four weeks and may appear anywhere on the body. HZ is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) \u2014 the same pathogen responsible for chickenpox.<\/span><\/p>\n

Shingles can only appear in people who have already been infected with VZV. At first contact with this virus, a person will develop chickenpox. After recovery, however, the virus will remain inactive in the body. Herpes zoster appears when it reactivates \u2014 yet, how this reactivation happens isn\u2019t fully understood.<\/span><\/p>\n

As such, the only people at risk of herpes zoster are those who have had chickenpox at some point. Persons with compromised immune systems (due to either drugs or medical conditions) are at an even greater risk of developing shingles. Similarly, older people are also more prone to HZ due to lower resistance to the virus.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is the prevalence and burden of herpes zoster?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Research shows that while chickenpox incidence has significantly decreased recently, herpes zoster has <\/span>become<\/span><\/a> more prevalent. It\u2019s estimated that 7.2 out of 1000 persons will develop HZ at some point in their lives. This number increases with age: 8.45 for people between 50 and 59, and 10.46 for people older than 60.<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s estimated that over 95 percent of the world population above 50 has been exposed to the varicella-zoster virus, meaning that most older people are at risk of developing HZ. This is even truer for people who haven\u2019t been vaccinated for VZV \u2014 unvaccinated people over 85 have a 50 percent chance of developing shingles.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the potential long-term and severe complications of HZ?<\/b><\/h2>\n

Most people who get HZ won\u2019t have any further complications \u2014 however, up to 18 percent of people will develop a long-term condition known as <\/span>postherpetic neuralgia<\/span><\/a> (PHN). PHN usually occurs where the HZ rash was, causing severe pain that may last for years, often requiring medication.<\/span><\/p>\n

Less commonly, shingles may lead to other complications, including:<\/span><\/p>\n