Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Vol 82, Issue 3 145-146, Copyright © 1989 by Royal Society of Medicine
ORIGINAL ARTICLES |
P Bannister and B Crosse
Department of Geriatric Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Bristol.
Seventy-three cases of severe herpes zoster infection admitted to a regional infectious disease unit over a 3-year period were reviewed. Complications were common. Elderly patients were in the majority (55%), were hospitalized for longer and accounted for 78% of all complications. Acyclovir therapy was used in 44 cases with a reduction in both the duration of hospital stay and complication rate.