ReviewCNS neuroscience & therapeutics2026
Postherpetic Neuralgia: Mechanisms, Risk Factors, and Stratified Management-A Narrative Review.
Review in CNS neuroscience & therapeutics, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Current advances in the epidemiology, risk factors, prevention, management, and long-term outcomes of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia.Frontiers in microbiology · 2026Pooled it
- Impacts of Pain Characteristics on the Outcomes of Short-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation for the Treatment of Post-Herpetic Neuralgia: A Prospective Self-Controlled Study.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
- Short-term spinal cord stimulation vs. pulsed radiofrequency in acute/subacute herpes zoster pain.Frontiers in medicine · 2026Article
- Home-Based Remote Programming versus Inpatient Programming After Short-Term Spinal Cord Stimulation for Herpes Zoster Neuralgia: A Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study.Journal of pain research · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn 2020, an estimated 14.9 million herpes zoster (HZ) cases occurred worldwide among adults aged ≥ 50 years; this number is projected to rise to 19.1 million by 2030. Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), the most common complication of HZ, develops in 5% to > 30% of patients with HZ. Poorly managed PHN may cause persistent pain, functional impairment, psychological distress, and, in severe cases, suicide. This review summarizes the current evidence on PHN and proposes a tiered management framework.
methodsPubMed and Web of Science were searched for PHN-related articles published from January 2011 to December 2025, with reference-list screening. Studies were selected by clinical relevance and design. Management strategies were tiered by guideline support, regulatory approval, and PHN-specific efficacy and safety evidence.
resultsPathogenesis involves viral reactivation, peripheral and central sensitization, and genetic modulation. Major risk factors include older age, severe acute pain, extensive rash, craniofacial/thoracic involvement, immunocompromise, comorbidities, and treatment delay. Management of PHN is tiered: Tier 1 treatments include gabapentinoids, the 5% lidocaine patch, tricyclic antidepressants, duloxetine, and the 8% capsaicin patch; Tier 2 treatments include botulinum toxin type A injections, pulsed radiofrequency, and temporary spinal cord stimulation (tSCS); and Tier 3 options include opioids and neuromodulation.
conclusionsPHN remains the most common and therapeutically challenging complication of HZ. Although a stratified framework for PHN management has been proposed, it still requires validation in clinical practice and further refinement to support more effective individualized treatment.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.