Up-date on Clinical Management of Postherpetic Neuralgia and Mechanism-Based Treatment: New Options in Therapy. (22nd September 2018)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Forstenpointner, Julia; Rice, Andrew S C; Finnerup, Nanna B; Baron, Ralf
• Is Part Of: Journal of infectious diseases. Volume 218(2018)Supplement 2
• Page Start: S120
• Page End: S126
• Publication Date: 2018-09-22
• Subjects: postherpetic neuralgia -- mechanism-based therapy -- QST -- sensory profile; Communicable diseases -- Periodicals; Diseases -- Causes and theories of causation -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Periodicals; Communicable Diseases -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 616.9
• DOI: 10.1093/infdis/jiy381
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-1899

Abstract

Abstract: Patients with postherpetic neuralgia may experience various sensory signs and symptoms of pain. Despite this, the recommendations for medicinal treatment do not differ accordingly. In order to find the appropriate treatment options for postherpetic neuralgia, several attempts have been made in the past. The crucial obstacle to these attempts was insufficient or no subgrouping of patients according to their sensory phenotype, mostly resulting in an unsatisfactory treatment response. Recently, a new concept of retrospective stratification according to the patients' sensory phenotype has been made in a large cohort of pain patients. This new stratification tool allows a predictive validity for treatment response in subgroups of patients and might be of potential value in determining the optimal treatment in postherpetic neuralgia patients.