Herpes zoster: seasonal variations and morphological patterns in Pakistan

Objective To determine the relevance of seasonal variations and pattern of herpes zoster among the labor community in Lahore.Patients and methods This observational, cross sectional study was conducted at Nawaz Sharif Social Security Teaching Hospital from June, 2009 to May, 2010. Entitled patients that included the industrial labour and their dependents who were clinically diagnosed to be suffering from herpes zoster during the above mentioned period were included in the study. All the findings were recorded on a pre-designed pro forma.Results Fifty two enrolled patients constituted 0.46 per cent of overall OPD patients, with male to female ratio of 2:1 and the mean age at presentation was 47 years. Average duration of symptoms at presentation in herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) was 4.5 days while in remaining cases it was 5.6 days. The surge of the cases was noted with onset of summer and most common dermatomes involved were thoracic followed by ophthalmic division of trigeminal nerve.Conclusion There is a relationship between herpes zoster and seasonal variations which seems to be different from temperate climate of western countries