TABLE 1.

Complications associated with herpes zoster

Cutaneous

Disseminated cutaneous zoster*

Bacterial superinfection

Chronic atypical lesions with hyperkeratosis*

Recurrent zoster*

Neurological

Postherpetic neuralgia

Meningitis, myelitis, encephalitis*

Cranial nerve palsies including Bell’s palsy and Ramsay Hunt syndrome

Granulomatous cerebral angiitis

Guillain-Barré syndrome

Ophthalmological

Keratitis

Chorioretinitis, progressive outer retinal necrosis*

Uveitis

Iridocyclitis

Secondary glaucoma

Cataract

Visceral

Gastrointestinal involvement (esophagitis, gastritis, colitis)*

Pneumonia*

Pericarditis

Cystitis

Hepatitis

^*Most frequently seen in immunocompromised patients, particularly in those with marked reduction in CD4+ T cell counts