The efficacy of time-based short-course acyclovir therapy in treatment of post-herpetic pain.
BACKGROUND
Various treatments have been used to manage post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Safe and effective therapies to prevent PHN are needed.


METHODS
A clinical trial involving 152 patients diagnosed with acute herpes Zoster (HZ) was conducted to determine whether short-course acyclovir therapy (800 mg five times a day for four days) can alleviate HZ-associated pain and prevent post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN).  The patients were divided into two groups: Group 1 had a rash with a duration of less than 72 hours and Group 2 had a rash with a duration of more than 72 hours. To assess PHN, the patients categorized and assessed the severity of their symptoms using a four-point verbal rating scale (VRS).


RESULTS
By the fourth week, 134 out of 152 patients (88.2%) had complete pain response (CPR). Of these, 68 patients (89.5%) were from Group 1 and 66 from Group 2 (86.8%). After four weeks, the mean VRS scores had changed significantly in both groups compared to the scores at the beginning of study (p = 0.001), but there was no difference between the two groups (0.88 ± 0.66 Vs. 0.94 ± 0.72; p = 0.66) After three months no differences were observed in the treatment results between the two groups (0.51 ± 0.13 Vs.0.54 ± 0.19; p = 0.77).


CONCLUSIONS
Short-course acyclovir therapy is an effective treatment for zoster and its efficacy in patients with a rash duration of more than 72 hours is similar to that in patients with rash duration of less than 72 hours.
Hazrat-e-Rasul Hospital, Iran University of Medical Sciences and Health Services, Tehran, Iran.
Abbas
A
Rasi
Ashkan
A
Heshmatzade Behzadi
Mehrshad
M
Rabet
Jaleh
J
Hassanloo
Yasamin
Y
Honarbakhsh
Nasir
N
Dehghan
Seyed Kamran
SK
Kamrava
D000212:Acyclovir / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000998:Antiviral Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D004334:Drug Administration Schedule; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy*; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome
D000998:Antiviral Agents; D000212:Acyclovir