Acupuncture in Herpes Zoster Neuralgia (ACUZoster)
Status:
Completed
Trial end date:
2018-04-05
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Symptoms that herald herpes zoster include pruritus, dysesthesia and pain along the
distribution of the involved dermatome. The most distressing symptom is typically pain and
the most feared complication is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the persistence of pain long
after rash healing. PHN is defined as pain persisting more than 3 months after the rash has
healed. Both, the acute pain associated with herpes zoster and the chronic pain of PHN, have
multiple adverse effects on health-related quality of life.
The primary objective of the trial presented is to investigate whether a 4 week
semi-standardised acupuncture is non-inferior (first step) or superior (second step) to (a)
the anticonvulsive drug gabapentin and (b) sham laser acupuncture in the treatment of pain
associated with herpes zoster in addition to standardised analgesics. Secondary objectives
include an assessment of the change of sensoric function, of long-term effectiveness, the
occurrence of PHN and an evaluation of several pain specific questionnaires