ABSTRACT:
This study included 40 patients with Herpes Zoster who were treated with low-frequency and low-intensity magnetic fields. Seventy seven percent of the treated patients were older than 50 years; and 80% of them were women. 62% of the patients visited a doctor on the third or fourth day of their disease, with lesions in various areas, the intercostal region being the most frequent, accounting for 67% of the cases. One hundred percent of the patients felt pain.
All patients received ten treatment sessions. No new lesions were found after the first treatment, and pain was remarkably reduced. 55% of patients recovered from their affliction after 4 – 6 sessions, while none needed more than 10 sessions. This procedure proved efficient in the treatment of Herpes zoster in all patients treated. From an economic point of view, this treatment with magnetic fields costs less than conventional treatments.
Herpes zoster is a painful experience for most patients and a challenge for doctors to diagnose and treat. It is an acute disorder caused by the Zoster varicella virus with a unilateral distribution. It is characterized by the appearance of vesicles gathered in an inflammatory area around a nerve. It may be found in the cervical region affecting the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal in the frontal zone, the scalp, the eyelids, and other zones such as the lumbofemoral, the sacrum ischiatic, etc.
It appears in individuals with partial immunity, stemming from a previous infection of varicella, i.e. the virus is reactivated in affected persons. It occurs occasionally and any time in the year, regardless of the zone.
1.3 to 5 out of 1000 persons are affected annually. Herpes zoster appears in all age groups, including children. More than two thirds of the reported cases are found in patients older than 50, while less than 10 % of cases are under 20.
It is rarely found in the early stages of life, and when it appears, it is almost always due to a case of maternal varicella.
The increase of this disease in patients with a history of immunodepression may suggest the presence of a malignization.
Authors: Carina Sesín Vidal, MD (1), Enrique Garbayo Otaño, MD (2), Nancy Cabrera López, MD (3), Ramón Daniel Simón, MD (4), Eng. Alieser Deyne Fonseca (5)
New Self-Help Manual – Biomagnetism
