Glossary

This alphabetized glossary contains terms, phrases and abbreviations used throughout the ZosterInfo.com Web site.

Allodynia—Condition in which ordinarily nonpainful stimuli evoke pain.16

Anticonvulsant—An agent that prevents or treats seizures.16

Antiviral therapy—Treatment that interferes with the replication of a virus.16

Biofeedback—A training technique that enables an individual to gain some element of voluntary control over autonomic body functions.16

Cell-mediated immunity (CMI)—Immune responses that are initiated by an antigen-presenting cell interacting with and mediated by T lymphocytes.16

Chickenpox—An acute contagious disease, usually in children, caused by the varicella-zoster virus.16

Dermatome—A localized area of skin with sensation from a single nerve root of the spinal cord.16

Encephalitis—Inflammation of the brain.16

Facial palsy—Paralysis of the face.16

Ganglion—A group of nerve cell bodies located in the central or peripheral nervous system.16

Herpes zoster—An infection caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus. Commonly called shingles.16

Herpes zoster ophthalmicus—A HZ involvement of the ophthalmic branch of the trigeminal nerve.16

Hyperalgesia—Extreme sensitivity to painful stimuli.16

Hyperesthesia—An abnormal acuteness of sensitivity to touch, pain, or other sensory stimuli.16

Immunosuppression—Prevention or interference with the development of immunologic response.16

Neuralgia—Pain of a severe, throbbing, or stabbing character in the course or distribution of a nerve.16

Paresthesia—An abnormal sensation, such as of burning, pricking, tickling, or tingling as with herpes zoster.16

Postherpetic neuralgia (PHN)—Persistent burning pain and hyperesthesia following an attack of herpes zoster.16

Prodrome—An early or premonitory symptom of a disease.16

Pustule—A circumscribed, superficial elevation of the skin containing purulent material.16

Ramsay Hunt Syndrome – Herpes zoster involving the facial and auditory nerves associated with facial paralysis, herpetic vesicles of the external ear or tympanic membrane, and sometimes hearing disorders.17

Shingles—Another name for herpes zoster.16

Trigeminal nerve—The chief sensory nerve of the face and the motor neuron of the muscles of mastication.16

Varicella—Chickenpox. A disease caused by varicella-zoster virus.16

Vesicle—A small, circumscribed elevation of the skin containing fluid.16

Zoster—A synonym for herpes zoster, a Greek word meaning a girdle (belt).16

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