Table 2.
Main baseline characteristics of herpes zoster and herpes zoster-related pain in each age-group
| Age group (years) | 70-74 (N = 220) | 75-79 (N = 163) | 80-84 (N = 137) | 85+ (N = 89) | p-value |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Time-interval between rash onset and herpes zoster diagnosis: % | 0.179 | ||||
| ≤1 day | 46.3 | 34.6 | 41.9 | 37.9 | |
| >1 and ≤2 days | 22.7 | 22.2 | 24.3 | 31.0 | |
| >2 and ≤3 days | 14.8 | 16.0 | 14.0 | 16.1 | |
| >3 days | 16.2 | 27.2 | 19.9 | 14.9 | |
| Rash location: % | 0.070 | ||||
| Cranial, cervical, facial, and/or ophthalmic | 15.0 | 16.6 | 19.0 | 28.1 | |
| Thoracic, abdominal and/or sacrolumbar | 72.3 | 66.3 | 62.8 | 61.8 | |
| Upper and/or lower limbs | 8.2 | 11.7 | 8.0 | 5.6 | |
| Other location and/or combination of previous locations | 4.5 | 5.5 | 10.2 | 4.5 | |
| Rash severity (quantitative assessment): % | 0.775 | ||||
| Few vesicles | 43.9 | 38.9 | 43.5 | 41.2 | |
| Many vesicles (extensive rash) | 56.1 | 61.1 | 56.5 | 58.8 | |
| Rash severity (qualitative assessment): % | |||||
| Simple vesicles | 86.9 | 80.3 | 85.5 | 81.2 | 0.294 |
| Haemorrhagic lesions | 7.9 | 6.4 | 7.6 | 12.9 | 0.328 |
| Necrotic lesions | 3.7 | 12.1 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 0.650 |
| Ophthalmic zoster | 5.5 | 8.0 | 8.8 | 9.0 | 0.574 |
| Time interval between pain and HZ vesicles onset: mean (SD) (days) | −1.0 (2.3) | −0.9 (2.5) | −0.8 (2.4) | −0.7 (2.1) | 0.639 |
| NPSI*: mean (SD) | 32.7 (18.5) | 29.9 (21.6) | 31.1 (18.5) | 33.3 (18.0) | 0.407 |
| ZBPI†: worst pain severity score, mean (SD) | 5.4 (2.5) | 5.1 (2.8) | 5.8 (2.6) | 5.5 (2.6) | 0.185 |
| Medical treatment: yes (%) | 97.7 | 98.2 | 100 | 98.9 | 0.337 |
| Antiviral drug | 96.3 | 93.1 | 92.7 | 96.6 | 0.318 |
| Analgesics | 85.6 | 86.3 | 88.3 | 86.4 | 0.907 |
NPSI = Neuropathic Pain Symptom Inventory; SD = Standard deviation; ZBPI = Zoster Brief Pain Inventory.
*NPSI score > 30 indicates moderate pain.
†from 0, no pain to 10, maximal pain.