Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy, impact on quality of life, and safety of pregabalin for the treatment of acute herpetic neuralgia (AHN) and subacute herpetic neuralgia (SHN).
Design: Multicenter, parallel-group, single-blind, 4-week, randomized clinical trial.
Setting: Conducted in the department of pain clinic of participating hospitals.
Subjects: Three hundred patients with AHN or SHN (of which 239 completed the study).
Methods: Patients were treated with oxycodone (A group) or combination of oxycodone and pregabalin (B group). Patients with AHN belonged to A1 group and B1 group. Patients with SHN belonged to A2 group and B2 group. Pain intensity was rated on an 11-point numerical rating scale (NRS). Other outcomes included mean daily oxycodone doses, quality of life, and adverse effects.
Results: Pregabalin-treated patients had greater NRS decrement: 74% in B1 (vs 58% in A1; P < 0.05); 69% in B2 (vs 53% in A2; P < 0.05). Significant improvement in quality of life was observed in all groups, and pregabalin-treated patients improved more, with 72.7% in B1 (vs 63.7% in A1; P < 0.05) and 74.5% in B2 (vs 59.6% in A2; P < 0.05). The maximum tolerated dose of oxycodone for pregabalin-treated patients was lower. Pregabalin had acceptable tolerability.
Conclusions: Both combination therapy with oxycodone plus pregabalin and oxycodone monotherapy were effective and safe for herpetic neuralgia. In addition, subjects on combination therapy showed shortened time to pain relief, reduced pain intensity, and greater improvement than oxycodone alone.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/pme.12564 | DOI Listing |
BMC Infect Dis
January 2025
Department of Endocrinology, Guang'anmen Hospital, China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, Beijing, China.
Background: Diabetes and malignant tumors often lead to abnormal immune function, increasing susceptibility to herpes zoster and severe post-herpetic neuralgia. Renal insufficiency following renal cell carcinoma surgery can be compounded by treatment with nephrotoxic antiviral drugs. There have also been case reports of herpes zoster occurring at the surgical site.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAm J Emerg Med
December 2024
University of California, Los Angeles - Department of Emergency Medicine, United States of America. Electronic address:
Introduction: The erector spinae plane block (ESPB) is a relatively new regional anesthetic procedure that provides analgesia below the erector spinae muscles in an interfascial plane. The indications for its use continue to expand as we learn more about this block.
Case: We report a case of a 60 year old woman presenting to the emergency department (ED) with severe intractable pain after recent onset of herpes zoster infection.
The literature in botulinum toxin treatment for painful diabetic neuropathy (PDN), post traumatic neuralgia (PTN), postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) and occipital neuralgia (ON) was reviewed up to Oct 1st, 2024. Using the efficacy criteria set forth by the Assessment and Guideline subcommittee of the American Academy of Neurology, the current levels of efficacy for these conditions could be designated as followings: PDN: B (probably effective, two class II study), PTN: A (effective, two class I studies); PHN: A (effective, two class I studies), ON: (undetermined due to lack of blinded investigations). Due to the small number of patients in these studies, proof of efficacy requires conduction of controlled and blinded studies in large cohorts of patients with longer follow ups.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFActa Derm Venereol
January 2025
Ben Gurion University of the Negev, Faculty of Health Sciences, Beer-Sheva, Israel; Pediatric Dermatology Service, Soroka University Medical Center, Beer-Sheva, Israel.
This study investigates serum cell-free DNA fluctuations in patients with herpes zoster or post-herpetic neuralgia, offering insight into the tissue damage and inflammatory dynamics associated with these conditions. A single-centre combined cross-sectional and longitudinal study was conducted with 59 patients to assess cell-free DNA levels in herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia. Cell-free DNA was extracted from blood samples of patients with herpes zoster or post-herpetic neuralgia and compared with healthy controls.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDiseases
December 2024
Neuroradiology Unit, Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale-IRCCS di Reggio Emilia, Viale Risorgimento 80, 42123 Reggio Emilia, Italy.
The so-called trigeminal pontine sign has been described as a marker of different diseases, from multiple sclerosis to herpetic infections. First, it has been proposed as linear hyperintensity in the pons on the Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of patients with multiple sclerosis and trigeminal neuralgia. After these descriptions, it has been reported as incidental findings in the same patients and in patients with HSV or VZV infections.
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