[Herpes zoster: clinical manifestation, diagnosis and treatment].

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a painful vesicular rash localized to one dermatome. Post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) is persistent pain three months after the rash started. In recent years several Cochrane reviews and clinical studies on how to treat HZ and PHN have been published. These studies show that early recognition and treatment can reduce acute symptoms, that antiviral therapy and corticosteroids shorten the acute illness period, that opioids and anticonvulsants have effect on acute HZ pain and, finally, that tricyclic antidepressants, opioids and anticonvulsants all have proven efficiency in PHN therapy.