Anti-cytokine autoantibodies in postherpetic neuralgia

• Published in: Journal of translational medicine Vol. 13; no. 1; p. 333
• Main Authors: Bayat, Ahmad, Burbelo, Peter D., Browne, Sarah K., Quinlivan, Mark, Martinez, Bianca, Holland, Steven M., Buvanendran, Asokumar, Kroin, Jeffrey S., Mannes, Andrew J., Breuer, Judith, Cohen, Jeffrey I., Iadarola, Michael J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 20.10.2015; BioMed Central
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Analysis; Autoantibodies; Autoantibodies - blood; Autoimmunity; Care and treatment; Chronic pain; Cohort Studies; Complex Regional Pain Syndromes - blood; Complex Regional Pain Syndromes - immunology; Cytokines - blood; Development and progression; Epstein-Barr virus; Female; Granulocyte-Macrophage Colony-Stimulating Factor - blood; Health aspects; Herpes Zoster - blood; Herpes Zoster - immunology; Herpesvirus 3, Human; Humans; Immunity; Infection; Interferon; Interferon-alpha - blood; Interferon-gamma - blood; Interleukin-6 - blood; Interleukins; Male; Middle Aged; Neuralgia; Neuralgia - blood; Neuralgia - immunology; Neuralgia, Postherpetic - blood; Neuralgia, Postherpetic - immunology; Pain; Risk factors; Shingles (Disease); T cells; Young Adult; United Kingdom

The mechanisms by which varicella zoster virus (VZV) reactivation causes postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a debilitating chronic pain condition, have not been fully elucidated. Based on previous studies identifying a causative role for anti-cytokine autoantibodies in patients with opportunistic infecti...