New Research Offers Pathways to Treatment for Severe Chronic Pain Caused by Shingles

A recent study published in the Annals of Neurology has uncovered a potential explanation for the persistent pain associated with shingles. Researchers found that microparticles called exosomes, which circulate in the blood, may contribute to the development of post-herpetic neuralgia. The study isolated exosomes from the blood of patients with post-herpetic neuralgia and compared them to those in the blood of patients without the condition. The contents of the exosomes in patients with post-herpetic neuralgia had higher concentrations of proteins that suppress the growth of neurons. This suggests that patients with post-herpetic neuralgia may have particles in their blood that prevent their pain sensory neurons from fully regenerating. The study's findings could lead to new treatments for post-herpetic neuralgia and potentially other painful neuropathies, such as diabetic neuropathy. Researchers are now collecting sequential blood samples from patients with shingles to determine specifically what cargo exosomes are carrying that contributes to this debilitating chronic pain condition.