The relationship among pain, depression, and anxiety in patients with herpes zoster

Abstract

Background: Acute and persistent pain are the most significant clinical manifestations of herpes zoster. It has been suggested that the demographic and clinical characteristics of patients with herpes zoster at the time of presentation predict the duration and severity of pain on long-term follow-up. However, the association between pain in herpes zoster and emotional factors such as depression and anxiety has been less well investigated.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to correlate the characteristics of pain with clinical, demographic, and emotional factors in herpes zoster patients.

Methods: Ninety-seven patients with herpes zoster and 105 healthy controls were recruited from the department of dermatology at a university-affiliated hospital. Depression and anxiety levels were assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory. We compared severity of initial pain and duration of pain by age, depression, and anxiety.

Results: The levels of depression and anxiety were higher in herpes zoster patients compared to controls (p<0.05). There were no significant differences by age, depression, or anxiety. The duration of pain increased with increasing age, depression, and anxiety (p < 0.05). Stratified analyses showed that the association between pain duration and increasing depression and anxiety was significant in the young age group (p < 0.05), but not significant in the old age group.

Conclusion: This study suggests that age, depression, and anxiety are the main correlates of pain duration in patients with herpes zoster. Therefore, depression and anxiety should not be ignored in the management of herpes zoster patients.