Herpes zoster: incidence study among "Sentinel" general practioners

Introduction. Herpes tester is a frequent disease but its incidence in Fran ce is unknown. Methods. We conducted a postal survey among the general practitioners of th e "Sentinel" network. The incidence of acute herpes tester was extrapolated from the number of cases diagnosed during the year 1998, by the general pr actitioners who answered the questionnaire. The general practitioners were also surveyed on their prescriptions and attitude. Results, Among the 1,368 "Sentinel" general practitioners, 744 (54.4 p. 100 ) participated in the survey. The incidence in 1998 was 3.2 cases for 1,000 inhabitants (95 p 100 confidence interval: 3.0 - 3.4). For acute herpes te ster, 73 p. 100 of the patients have been given an oral antiviral drug, and 63 p. 100 an antalgic. Among the 605 reported herpes tester cases, 111 (18 4 p.100) Subsequently had chronic pain. Discussion. The estimated incidence is comparable to the incidence from oth ers developed countries. To be interpreted, this estimation has to be discu ssed according to the sample of population that was studied and the represe ntativity of the "Sentinelles" general practitioners who participated the s urvey.