Background: Herpes zoster also known as shingles or Zona and is caused by a neurotrophic DNA virus called Varicella Zoster, a member of the herpes viridae. The incidence of herpes zoster ranges from 1.2 to 3.4 cases, reaching up to 3.9 11.8 per 1,000 individuals among those older than 65 years.
Material & methods: Medical records from a period of 2013 2015 march were analyzed for the details regarding number and clinical presentation of patients diagnosed as herpes zoster. Twelve cases with complete clinical details were selected and analyzed.
Results: Twelve of the affected patients were aged between 21 to 62 years and eight of them were male. Maxillary nerve and left side was affected more. All the patients complained severe pain with severity of 10 in visual analog scale (VAS). Clusters of vesicles, ulcers, post infection hypo/hyperpigmentation and post herpetic neuralgia were reported. Two of the patients are serologically confirmed cases of HIV+ive.
Conclusion: Herpes zoster affecting maxillary nerve is more often seen in dental institution. Left side nerve is more affected and oral lesions are seen only in cases of maxillary and mandibular nerve. Post herpetic neuralgia is more seen in older patients above 50 years. Post infection pigmentation could be attributed to poor hygiene and secondary bacterial infection.
Key words: Herpes zoster, Varicella Zoster virus, pigmentation, Prodromal pain and Post Herpetic Neuralgia.
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