Herpes zoster and its sequela post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) are conditions with significant morbidity. PHN is a chronic, debilitating neuropathic pain that can persist long beyond resolution of visible cutaneous manifestations. This paper provides practical guidelines for management of herpes zoster and PHN. For herpes zoster, antivirals should be started, preferably within 72 h of onset, to reduce the severity and duration of the eruptive phase and to reduce the intensity of acute pain. PHN can be treated with either topical or systemic agents. Topical lidocaine and capsaicin are effective. For patients with more severe pain, the following systemic agents can be considered (in decreasing order of recommendation): the anticonvulsants gabapentin and pregabalin, the tricyclic antidepressants amitriptyline, nortriptyline, and desipramine, and, lastly, the opioid analgesics tramadol, morphine, oxycodone, and methadone. For patients at high risk of developing PHN, early initiation of gabapentin or amitriptyline after the onset of herpes zoster is suggested. The new zoster vaccine has been shown to be effective in reducing the incidence of herpes zoster and PHN.
The Vitiligo Global Issues Consensus Conference (VGICC), through an international e-Delphi consensus, concluded that 'repigmentation' and 'maintenance of gained repigmentation' are essential core outcome measures in future vitiligo trials. This VGICC position paper addresses these core topics in two sections and includes an atlas depicting vitiligo repigmentation patterns and color match. The first section delineates mechanisms and characteristics of vitiligo repigmentation, and the second section summarizes the outcomes of international meeting discussions and two e-surveys on vitiligo repigmentation, which had been carried out over 3 yr. Treatment is defined as successful if repigmentation exceeds 80% and at least 80% of the gained repigmentation is maintained for over 6 months. No agreement was found on the best outcome measure for assessing target or global repigmentation, therefore highlighting the limitations of e-surveys in addressing clinical measurements. Until there is a clear consensus, existing tools should be selected according to the specific needs of each study. A workshop will be conducted to address the remaining issues so as to achieve a consensus.
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