ABSTRACT
Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is a neuropathic complication that
may follow an attack of herpes zoster (HZ). The name “herpes
zoster” is derived from the Greek and literally means a creeping
girdle or belt, which aptly describes the appearance in the acute
phase. It is commonly referred to as shingles, a later Latin derivation,
again meaning a belt or girdle, and was popularly called “the ring of
fire,” which is a misnomer because the disease almost always occurs
unilaterally. There was a folk belief that if the rash ever met in the
middle of the chest, the sufferer would die.