During 5-year-period from June 1986 to May 19991, 431 patients with herpes zoster were clinically observed at the Department of Dermatology at Keimyung University Hospital. These patients were evaluated in regard to annual, sesonal and monthly
incidence, age incidence and sex ratio. Patients were further assessed concerning dermatomic distributions, associated conditions and complications.
@ES The results were as follows:
@EN The incidence of herpes zoster versus the total number of outpatients was 0.56% and the ratio of male (40.5%) to female (59.5%) was appoximately 1 : 14.
Tere were no marked monthly or seasonal differences in herpes zoster, ranging from 6.0% to 12.5% and 21.8% to 30.6%, respectively. Monthly, herpes zoster was most common in June (12.5%) and least common in November (6.0%).
Herpes zoster was seen most frequently in the 51~60 years age group (26.7%) and least common in 0~10 years age group.
The dermatomic involvement of herpes zoster was most frequent on the thoracic dermatome(52.4%) and others were cervical (16.9%), ophthalmic branch of trigeminal nerve (14.4%), lumbar (9.5%), sacral (1.6%), mandibular branch of trigeminal nerve
(1.2%),
maxillary branch of trigeminal nerve (0.9%).
The most common complication of herpes zoster was postherpetic neuralgia (27.3%). It was most common in 51~60 years age group (31.3%), and 75.4% of all postherpetic neuralgia patients was over 51 years of age.
The frequencies of the associated conditions in herpes zoster, in descending order, were malignant neoplasm (3.7%) pulmonary tuberculosis (2.6%), hypertension (2.6%), diabetes mellitus(1.6%), peptic ulcer (0.9%), chronic obstructive pulmonary
disease
(0.7%), chronic renal failure (0.7%) and asthma (0.4%).
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