Do herpes zoster patients receive antivirals? A Dutch national survey in general practice

Background. The main complications of herpes zoster (HZ) are postherpetic neuralgia and, in case of HZ ophthalmicus, eye disorders. Antiviral treatment may modify the course of disease and reduce the risk of complications. Objective. To assess which doctors' and patients' characteristics were related to prescription of antiviral therapy for HZ. Methods. Ninety general practices (358 008 patients) in The Netherlands registered all patient contacts in a database for one year as part of the Second Dutch National Survey of General Practice. The present study used ICPC code S70 to search that datab... Mehr ...