Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-gxg78 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-26T17:35:34.566Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Cough after laryngeal herpes zoster: a new aspect of post-herpetic sensory disturbance

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  30 January 2014

B Ling ,
D Novakovic  and
L Sulica
B Ling*
Affiliation:
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand
D Novakovic
Affiliation:
ENT, Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
L Sulica
Affiliation:
Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, Weill Cornell Medical College, New York, New York, USA
*
Address for correspondence: Mr Benjamin Ling, University of Otago, 2 Riccarton Av, PO Box 4345, Christchurch 8140, New Zealand Fax: +64 3 364 0525 E-mail: benlhl@gmail.com
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Objective:

Although neurogenic cough is increasingly recognised, its pathophysiology remains obscure. We describe two cases of chronic cough following laryngeal herpes zoster, a rarely described manifestation of varicella-zoster virus reactivation, and suggest that this may be analogous to post-herpetic neuralgia. The same mechanisms may cause both phenomena.

Case reports:

We describe two cases of chronic cough persisting for more than three months following an acute attack of laryngeal herpes zoster.

Conclusion:

Neuronal damage by varicella-zoster virus results in irritable nociceptors and deafferentation, mechanisms known to cause post-herpetic neuralgia. When the vagus nerve is affected, as in laryngeal herpes zoster, the result may be a chronic cough. Similar damage may underlie chronic neurogenic cough in other contexts.

Keywords

Herpes ZosterLaryngeal DiseasesVagus Nerve DiseasesCoughNeuralgia, Postherpetic
Type
Clinical Records
Information
The Journal of Laryngology & Otology , Volume 128 , Issue 2 , February 2014 , pp. 209 - 211
Copyright
Copyright © JLO (1984) Limited 2014 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1Sanders, I, Mu, L. Anatomy of the human internal superior laryngeal nerve. Anat Rec 1998;252:646–563.0.CO;2-E>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
2Monkhouse, S. Clinical Anatomy: a Core Text with Self-assessment. Philadelphia: Churchill Livingstone, 2001;232Google Scholar
3Amin, MR, Koufman, JA. Vagal neuropathy after upper respiratory infection: a viral etiology? Am J Otolaryngol 2001;22:251–6Google Scholar
4Bastian, RW, Vaidya, AM, Delsupehe, KG. Sensory neuropathic cough: a common and treatable cause of chronic cough. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg 2006;135:17–21CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
5Fields, HL, Rowbotham, M, Baron, R. Postherpetic neuralgia: irritable nociceptors and deafferentation. Neurobiol Dis 1998;5:209–27CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6Truini, A, Galeotti, F, Haanpaa, M, Zucchi, R, Albanesi, A, Biasiotta, A et al. Pathophysiology of pain in postherpetic neuralgia: a clinical and neurophysiological study. Pain 2008;140:405–10Google Scholar
7Mazzone, SB. An overview of the sensory receptors regulating cough. Cough 2005;1:2CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Morrison, M, Rammage, L, Emami, AJ. The irritable larynx syndrome. J Voice 1999;13:447–55Google Scholar
9Polverino, M, Polverino, F, Fasolino, M, Andò, F, Alfieri, A, De Blasio, F. Anatomy and neuro-pathophysiology of the cough reflex arc. Multidiscip Respir Med 2012;7:5CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed