Introduction
Shingles is a disease that negatively affects the quality of life of
patients with symptoms such as pain and itch1. The
severity of herpetic pain (HP) accompanying in the acute period
constitutes a risk factor for developing post-herpetic
neuralgia2. HP affects the daily lives of patients
negatively both physically and emotionally by causing symptoms such as
sleep disorders, depression, weight loss, and chronic
fatigue3. Herpetic itch (HI), which has not been
studied HP; it can accompany alone or HP, and patients injure themselves
by scratching due to HI4. There is a complex
relationship between HP and HI, and the answer to the question of which
patients develop HP and in which HI is not clear 5.
Vitamin B 12 supports myelinization and axonal transport, helps the
regeneration of peripheral nerve cells and is used in the treatment of
neuropathic pain due to this feature6. Additionally,
it has been reported that vitamin b 12 deficiency plays a role in the
etiology of neuropathic itching by causing small-fiber
neuropathy7. Although HP and HI be associated with
neural tissue damage and functional abnormalities such as subepidermal
nerve plexus, afferent fibers, and epidermal nerve fiber endings, the
etiopathogenesis has not been clarified yet8. In this
study, it was investigated the effect of vitamin B12 on itching and
pain symptoms that patients with zona have been in the acute period.