a severe, sometimes relentless pain that follows an attack of shingles. Occurs primarily in the older population groups.
a condition characterized by pain that persists more than 3 months after healing of a shingles rash; caused by damage to the nervous system.
Localized pain in the area of involvement of shingles that persists beyond one month. See the entire definition of Postherpetic neuralgia
(post-her-PET-tick noo-RAL-juh) or PHN is pain that continues after the rash from shingles heals. It is caused by nerve damage from shingles.
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a painful condition caused by the varicella zoster virus in a dermatomal distribution (the area governed by a particular sensory nerve) after an attack of herpes zoster (HZ) (commonly known as shingles), usually manifesting after the vesicles have crusted over and begun to heal. Because it is fundamentally a (neuropathic) nerve pain, it is not controlled by traditional analgesics such as opiates and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs.
