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.