▶ U.S. research team: “Administration for 1 year reduces pain and eye disease… “Vaccination is more effective.”
<img alt="“Long-term low-dose antiviral treatment, effective in treating shingles pain and eye disease.”” title=”“Long-term low-dose antiviral treatment, effective in treating shingles pain and eye disease.”” src=”http://image.koreatimes.com/article/2024/10/20/20241020170306671.jpg”/>
shingles [게티이미지뱅크 제공. 재판매 및 DB 금지]
Research has shown that long-term administration of antiviral drugs in low doses can lower the risk of developing and worsening eye diseases caused by shingles and reduce severe pain.
Professor Elizabeth Cohen of New York University’s Grossman College and Langone Health and Professor Benny Howe Zheng of the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn) presented a low-dose antiviral drug to patients with shingles at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology (AAO) held in Chicago on the 20th. It was found that when administered for a year, it can reduce not only pain but also the risk of inflammation and infection that can damage vision.
Professor Cohen said, “The current standard treatment of administering antiviral drugs for 7 to 10 days reduces the risk of chronic eye disease, but many people still suffer from chronic eye disease.” He added, “It is possible to add low-dose antiviral therapy for one year to standard treatment.” “I suggest that,” he said.
Shingles is caused when the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox in children, lies dormant in nerve cells for decades and then proliferates again for unknown reasons. It mainly occurs in adults over 50 years of age and those with weakened immune systems. The virus spreads through nerve pathways, causing a painful blistering rash on the skin.
In particular, if the virus invades the forehead and eye nerves, it causes herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO). If the virus infects the cornea, it causes keratitis, and if it infects the inside of the eye, it causes iritis and sometimes glaucoma.
In this study, the research team divided 527 patients with herpes zoster eye disease into two groups at 95 medical centers in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand between November 2017 and January 2023. One group received 1,000 mg of antiviral medication daily for one year; A clinical trial (ZEDS) was conducted in which a placebo was administered to the control group.
As a result, patients who took the antiviral drug valacyclovir (product name Valtrex) for one year showed a 26% reduction in the risk of new or worsening eye diseases such as keratitis or iritis after 18 months compared to the placebo group.
Additionally, the antiviral group was found to have a 30% lower risk of multiple diseases recurring at 12 months and a 28% lower risk at 18 months than the placebo group.
The antiviral group showed a shorter duration of pain than the placebo group after 18 months and the need for neuropathic pain treatment was significantly reduced.
Professor Benny How Zheng said: “The results of this study provide compelling evidence that low-dose, long-term antiviral treatment can reduce eye disease and pain caused by shingles.”
Professor Cohen said, “New treatments for shingles are important, but prevention is much more effective.” He added, “(Health authorities) will provide shingles vaccination to all adults over 50 years of age from 2018, and adults with weak immune systems over 19 years of age from 2022.” “It is recommended,” he emphasized.
