ABSTRACT
A host of infectious agents may be encountered late in life in which the resulting disease or its treatment can affect greatly one’s lifestyle and quality. The disease may be becoming more significant in aging society, as zoster and associated neurological sequelae rise dramatically with increasing age. The most common neurological problem associated with Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) is pain after zoster. VZV is one of nine herpesviruses that infect humans and is subclassified with herpes simplex viruses type 1 and 2 into the Alphaherpesvirinae subfamily. VZV is distributed worldwide. In the absence of vaccination programs, VZV showed two patterns of spread, depending on the climate. The triggering of reactivation and subsequent zoster remains somewhat obscure. The most common neurological complication associated with VZV infection is pain associated with herpes zoster. There are several rarely encountered CNS infections associated with varicella, ranging in severity from subacute, acute, to chronic.
