What is Herpes Zoster Market?

(Herpes Zoster), is a viral disease characterized by a painful skin rash with blisters in a localized area. Typically the rash occurs in a single, wide stripe either on the left or right side of the body or face.Two to four days before the rash occurs there may be tingling or local pain in the area. Otherwise there are typically few symptoms though some may have fever or headache, or feel tired. The rash usually heals within two to four weeks; however, some people develop ongoing nerve pain which can last for months or years, a condition called Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).In those with poor immune function the rash may occur widely. If the rash involves the eye, vision loss may occur.

Shingles is cause due to a reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) in a person's body. The disease chickenpox is caused by the initial infection with VZV. Once chickenpox has resolved, the virus may remain inactive in nerve cells. When it reactivates, it travels from the nerve body to the endings in the skin, producing blisters. Risk factors for reactivation include old age, poor immune function, and having had chickenpox before 18 months of age.

The earliest symptoms of shingles, which include headache, fever, and malaise, are nonspecific, and may result in an incorrect diagnosis. Most cases of shingles clear up within 2 to 3 weeks. Shingles rarely occurs more than once in the same person, but approximately 1 in 3 people in the United States will have shingles at some point in their life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Read More- Herpes Zoster Market

Varicella zoster virus (VZV) is one of eight herpes viruses that infect humans and causes chickenpox in infants, teenagers, and young adults, and the cause of herpes zoster in older people. Each year, 10 million people worldwide and 500,000 people in the United States are affected. About 10-20% of the cases reactivate VZV to develop shingles, affecting 1.5-3.0 cases per 1,000 people worldwide, and 3.9-11.8 per 1,000 people over 65 years of age.

In the United States, approximately 95% of adults and 99.5% of adults aged 40 years or older have antibodies to VZV and thus are vulnerable to reactivation of infection. [A person of any age with a previous varicella infection may develop zoster, but the incidence increases with advancing age as a consequence of declining immunity.

Approximately 4% of patients develop a recurrent episode later in life. Recurrent zoster occurs almost exclusively in people who are immunosuppressed. Approximately 25% of patients with HIV and 7-9% of those receiving renal transplantation or cardiac transplantation experience a bout of zoster.

Approximately 1 to 4% of people who get shingles are hospitalized for complications. Older adults and people with weakened or suppressed immune system are more likely to be hospitalized. About 30% of people hospitalized for shingles have a weakened or suppressed immune system. Shingles causes fewer than 100 deaths annually. Almost all shingles deaths are in elderly or people with compromised immune system.

The most common complication of shingles is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is severe pain in the areas where the shingles rash occurred. About 10 to 18% of people who get shingles will experience PHN. The risk of PHN also increases with age.

A person’s risk of having PHN after herpes zoster increases with age. Older adults are more likely to have longer lasting, more severe pain. Approximately 10 to 13% of people 60 years and older with herpes zoster will get PHN. PHN is rare in people younger than 40 years old. Other predictors of PHN include the level of pain and the size of rash.

In the current market scenario, there is no targeted therapy specifically for the cure of Herpes Zoster, but there are some symptomatic treatments which are being given to the patients with herpes zoster. On the basis of treatment type, the herpes zoster infection market is segmented into Antiviral medications, Narcotic medication, Anti-inflammatory medications, antihistamine, anticonvulsants cream, Zostavax. Oral medications are usually given for the treatment of the herpes zoster infection. This medication is given to ease the pain, treat prolonged pain and itching, certain topicalgels and creams are also being applied to reduce the pain and reduce the risk of nerve pain which is known as post herpes neuralgia. Vaccine are given to the people from the age between 60-80 years as the risk of getting herpes zoster infection is high due to weak immune system.

HZ is a common disease with the highest burden in older adults who frequently have at least one chronic disease. The risk of drug–drug interactions is higher in this population when treatment for HZ and PHN is required, making management challenging, with the risk of unsatisfactory pain relief, adverse events, decompensation of comorbidities and functional decline. HZ and its complications represent a significant burden on the patients, caregivers, the healthcare economy and employers. Acute disease treatment does not significantly prevent the most common long-term complication, PHN. Treatments for PHN that provide higher levels of pain relief with fewer adverse effects are needed. Less common, but often serious, ophthalmic locations (HZO) and related complications can have permanent etrimental effects.

The other factors that shall further expedite the growth of Herpes Zoster market include increasing morbidity rate of Herpes Zoster and increasing awareness about available treatments during the forecast period (2020–2030). A better understanding of disease pathogenesis will also contribute to the development of novel therapeutics for Herpes Zoster.