[Clinical Spectrum of Herpes Zoster in Lomé (Togo), and Factors Associated with HIV Infection]

We have studied the epidemiological and clinical profile of herpes zoster in patients consulting at different hospitals in Lomé (Togo). This is a retrospective study of the records of the patient consulting for herpes zoster in the dermatology departments of these hospitals from 2009 to 2018. Of the 20,548 patients seen in the different departments, 254 (1.2%) had herpes zoster. The mean age of the patients was 41.6 ± 16 years, and the sex-ratio (M/F) was 0.81. Thirty-one (12.24%) patients were known to be HIVpositive and 105 (41.33%) agreed to be tested for HIV after admission. Thirty-five (33.3%) of these 105 patients were found to be HIV positive. Factors associated with HIV infection in 136 patients with the known HIV status were as follows: history of herpes zoster (P < 0.01, compared with the seronegatives), hemorrhagic lesions (P < 0.001), multimetameric location (P < 0.0001), and involvement of the cephalic extremity (P < 0.0001). Post-herpetic pain was observed in 32 (12.6%) patients.