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Abstract
Data from the zoster quality of life study provide further evidence that, as a common and chronic complication of HZ, PHN has a significant impact on patients' lives and may result in significant costs for healthcare providers. Data from this study also highlight current unmet needs among PHN patients and inadequacy of current treatments in the management of PHN, reinforcing the need for effective means of prevention, and alternative strategies for pain management. The exclusion criteria of HZ were: (1) Patients treated with calcium within 3 months; (2) Patients with serious cardiac, hepatic, and renal insufficiency or failure; (3) Patients with serious hypertensive disease, active peptic ulcer, and diabetes heavily depended on insulin; (4) Patients treated systematically with corticosteroid hormone within a month; and (5) Patients unable to complete the treatments for various reasons. According to the World Health Organization, pain is divided into the following scale: 0 - no pain; I - mild pain, intermittent, and medicine not necessary; II - moderate pain, continuous, and affecting sleep, painkiller needed; III - severe pain, continuous, and pain cannot be relieved without medicine; and IV - serious severe pain, continuous acute pain with changes in blood pressure and pulse. {Figure 1} From the [Figure 1], it can be clearly seen that the patients with the HZ and PHN are mainly distributed in the low-ICa area. [...]with the normalization of ICa values, the number of incidences is on the decrease [Table 1] and [Table 2]. [...]line therapies include strong and weak opioids...