Post herpetic neuralgia is one of a group of chronic pain conditions collectively called "neuropathic pain" that share nerve damage as a common causal factor, and is one of the most frequent diseases used to test new neuropathic pain therapies in clinical trials. The fact that some treatments only worked in selected patients highlights the variety of mechanisms that can cause pain in different patients with post herpetic neuralgia. In the future, before prescribing treatments, doctors might be able to assess the underlying mechanism(s) of each individual patient's pain and then tailor treatments accordingly.
Citation: Hempenstall K, Nurmikko TJ, Johnson RW, A'Hern RP, Rice ASC (2005) Analgesic therapy in postherpetic neuralgia: A quantitative systematic review. PLoS Med 2(7): e164.
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