Article Figures & Data
Tables
- Table 1.
Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Herpes-Zoster Patients With and Without Serological Confirmation (n=260)
Characteristic With Confirmed HZ (n=236) Without Confirmed HZ (n=24) Univariable OR (95% CI) Multivariable OR (95% CI) HZ = herpes zoster; OR = odds ratio; CI = confidence interval. * Dermatome was unknown in 4 patients with serological confirmation of herpes zoster. † Reference category. ‡ Visual analog scale, range 0-100. Age, mean (SD), y 66.5 (9.7) 63.9 (9.9) 1.03 (0.98–1.08) 1.05 (0.99–1.10) Female sex, No. (%) 133 (56.4) 13 (54.2) 1.09 (0.47–2.54) 0.88 (0.32–2.39) Duration of rash at examination, mean (SD), d 2.7 (1.7) 1.9 (1.9) 1.39 (1.04–1.85) 1.60 (1.13–2.29) Severity of rash at examination* Mild,† No. (%) 88 (37.3) 19 (79.2) – – Moderate/severe, No. (%) 144 (61.0) 5 (20.8) 6.22 (2.24–17.25) 5.21 (1.75–15.54) Localization Other,† No. (%) 59 (25.0) 8 (33.3) – – Thoracic, No. (%) 177 (75.0) 16 (66.7) 1.50 (0.61–3.68) 2.14 (0.73–6.29) Duration of prodromal pain, mean (SD), d 2.4 (3.9) 2.5 (2.7) 0.99 (0.89–1.11) 1.04 (0.88–1.22) Severity of pain,‡ mean (SD) 48.3 (26.9) 46.9 (28.0) 1.00 (0.99–1.02) 0.99 (0.98–1.02)
Additional Files
The Article in Brief
Clinical Diagnosis of Herpes Zoster in Family Practice
Wim Opstelten, MD, Phd, and colleagues
Background Herpes zoster is a common virus that can cause nerve inflammation and eye problems. It is often diagnosed clinically by the presence of a rash, but this can occasionally result in a false-positive diagnosis with unnecessary treatment. This study tests the effectiveness of family physicians� diagnosis of herpes zoster by comparing their clinical judgment with a laboratory test called dried blood spot analysis.
What This Study Found In 91% of patients studied, family physicians� clinical diagnosis of herpes zoster, based on patients� signs and symptoms, was correct according to the dried blood spot analysis. The dried blood spot analysis, a laboratory test, is a convenient method of testing.
Implications
- Family physicians have good clinical judgment in diagnosing herpes zoster. They do not often need additional testing to confirm the diagnosis.
