Acute and Chronic Herpes Zoster: An Ancient Scourge Yields to Timely Therapy

PREVIEW

According to estimates by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the incidence of herpes zoster in the United States is 600,000 to 1 million cases yearly. The disease is especially common among immunocompromised persons, so the elderly are at particular risk because immunocompetence declines with age. In this article, Dr Landow describes how to identify herpes zoster and patients at risk for postherpetic neuralgia and how to sort out useful treatments from the doubtful potions and processes sometimes touted in the literature.