水痘和帶狀皰疹同為水痘-帶狀皰疹病毒(varicella-zoster virus, VZV)所感染,臨床上若未曾感染過此種病毒之患者,初次感染會產生水痘(varicella, chickenpox)的症狀,痊癒後病毒仍會殘留在神經節內,隨著年齡增長,體內的抗VZV抗體逐漸消失或遭遇免疫力低下的狀態時,容易再次引發產生帶狀皰疹(herpes zoster)。帶狀皰疹的好發族群為50-70歲的年長者,容易有帶狀皰疹後神經痛(post herpetic neuralgia, PHN)的問題,大部份患者會因疼痛而影響生活品質以及睡眠,西醫多使用抗憂鬱劑、止痛劑及麻醉貼片處理,而中醫可以依據臨床的症狀,結合辨證論治,給予不同證型病患不同的藥物內服或外用治療。
Both chickenpox (varicella) and herpes zoster are both infected by varicella-zoster virus (VZV). Clinically, patients infected by this virus will express chickenpox symptom firstly, and the virus left in the ganglion of the nerve root after recovery. With age, the antibody will gradually decline, and the virus will come out in the low immunity and cause herpes zoster. The predilection of herpes zoster is older people aged 50-70 years and some patients will have post herpetic neuralgia (PHN) which affects their life quality and sleep. Western medicine use anti-depression agents, analgesics and anesthesia patch to treat the PHN, however, traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) treat patients with different oral or topical medicine according to patients' symptoms and syndrome differentiation.