Clinical Practice Guideline of Acupuncture for Herpes Zoster

BACKGROUND Herpes zoster （HZ）, also called shingles, zona and zoster, is a painful skin rash. It is a distinctive syndrome caused by reactivation of varicella zoster virus （VZV）. The reaction occurs when immunity to VZV declines because of aging or immunosuppression.~1） At this time the virus infects nerves （namely, the dorsal root ganglia） where it remains latent for years. It occurs in about one million people in the United States annually.（2） In China, few studies reported the prevalence of HZ and one article has mentioned the number was 1.4%0-4.8%.