Figure 4.
A total of 1905 cases in 1076 patients with recurrent herpes zoster (HZ) occurred both in different dermatomes and in the same dermatome. There was no difference between left and right in the distribution even between men and women, but the left dermatomes were significantly more affected than right dermatomes in patients with recurrence in the same dermatome. The (1) right and left dermatomes and (2) a single dermatome and multiple dermatomes are summarized in the box. Segmental innervations of dermatomes are indicated as trigeminal (V), cervical (C), thoracic (T), lumbar (L), and sacral (S) nerves, and single and multiple dermatomes are separated by white and dark boxes, respectively. (A) The distribution of a total of 1905 dermatomes is shown, and 1 otherwise healthy patient who experienced HZ duplex bilateralis at Th5 and Th6 at the age of 27 years is indicated in red. The distribution of dermatomes in patients with HZ in different dermatomes (B) and in the same dermatome (C) is shown. Recurrence in the same dermatome showed a significant preference for the left side in the comparison of dermatomal distribution in patients with recurrence (odds ratio, 1.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.66; P = .027, by the χ2 test).