Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a common complication caused by nerve damage after herpes zoster heals, bringing severe suffering to patients. Manifested as neuropathic pain and skin hypersensitivity, its pain can be persistent or intermittent and greatly undermines patients’ quality of life, which deserves sufficient clinical attention.

I. Clinical Features of PHN

• Long duration: Pain may linger for months or years and disrupt daily life severely.

• Neuropathic pain: Pain distributes along affected nerves, accompanied by stabbing, burning or electric shock sensations.

• Cutaneous hypersensitivity: Patients feel painful upon slight touch or temperature shifts, sometimes with pruritus.

II. Why PHN Cannot Be Neglected

• Impaired quality of life: Unbearable pain disrupts work, study, social and family activities.

• Mental distress: Chronic pain triggers anxiety, depression and damages physical and mental wellness.

• Difficult treatment: PHN requires prolonged therapy; many patients fall into despair due to poor therapeutic response.

III. Intervention & Prevention Strategies

• Early medical intervention: Timely treatment upon herpes zoster diagnosis lowers PHN incidence.

• Multimodal therapy: Combine pharmacotherapy, physical therapy and psychological intervention for better efficacy.

• Preventive measures: Maintain personal hygiene, boost immunity and avoid varicella-zoster virus infection.

Treatments for Herpes Zoster

Medication serves as primary therapy, starting with neurotrophic and antiviral drugs. Topical severe skin lesions are managed with low-dose hormones to relieve inflammation. For immunocompromised patients, interleukins, thymosin or interferons are supplemented to elevate immunity and assist antiviral treatment.

For neuralgia symptoms, antidepressants, anticonvulsants and analgesics are prescribed to ease pain. Severe refractory PHN requires nerve block: local anesthetics injected around affected nerve trunks, plexuses or ganglia to block pain signal conduction, yet relief only lasts roughly one week.

Radiofrequency thermocoagulation may be adopted to lesion damaged nerves and desensitize pain, with efficacy sustained merely 3–6 months.Neurostimulator implantation delivers superior outcomes: it relieves pain while nourishing and repairing impaired nerves. It achieves remarkable effects in early PHN cases, though efficacy gradually declines with long-term use for chronic PHN.

Prevention Prior to Onset

Prevention outweighs treatment in clinical practice. Daily precautions include:

• Avoid overfatigue and ensure adequate rest, as lowered immunity from exhaustion induces herpes zoster.

• Maintain balanced diet with mixed meat and vegetables.

• Immunocompromised populations and those with underlying diseases may adopt immunity-boosting therapies to cut infection risks.

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