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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Causes Intermittent Chest Pain Long After A Shingles Outbreak?

Hi. My nine year old grandson has been complaining on and of about chest pains on left side going under his arm and around to his back. Not necessarily at any given time or after specific activity. This morning he had an ECG which was all good and showed clear, our GP still wants blood tests and him to see a cardiologist , which is fine with us. Our question is: about 4 months ago he had a mild case of shingles, could this in any way be linked? He is very sporty, mainly football and swimming and healthy other than the on/ of pain.
Wed, 6 Jan 2016
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General & Family Physician 's  Response
Hello
Thank you for your question.
I am interested to know if the site of pain at present corresponds to the area which was affected by shingles.
If yes then I would suspect Post Herpetic Neuralgia.
If not then he will require further investigations for diagnosis.

Post Herpetic Neuralgia is a painful condition which affects the dermatome (area where the rash appeared ). It may go as long as 3 months or later after the rash appeared.It is usually seen in people over 60 years.

In this case , since the patient is 9 years old , I would suggest consulting your local physician , to ascertain whether your grandson is immunosuppressed in any way or if he had history of exposure to the virus.

The diagnosis is fairly simple. Regarding management there are various options such as lidocaine skin patches, drugs such as gabapentin / Pregabalin. Again , since he is 9 years old , i would suggest checking with his pediatrician about the dosing of the above mentioned medicines.

Hope this information is useful.
Regards
Dr.Alex

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What Causes Intermittent Chest Pain Long After A Shingles Outbreak?

Hello Thank you for your question. I am interested to know if the site of pain at present corresponds to the area which was affected by shingles. If yes then I would suspect Post Herpetic Neuralgia. If not then he will require further investigations for diagnosis. Post Herpetic Neuralgia is a painful condition which affects the dermatome (area where the rash appeared ). It may go as long as 3 months or later after the rash appeared.It is usually seen in people over 60 years. In this case , since the patient is 9 years old , I would suggest consulting your local physician , to ascertain whether your grandson is immunosuppressed in any way or if he had history of exposure to the virus. The diagnosis is fairly simple. Regarding management there are various options such as lidocaine skin patches, drugs such as gabapentin / Pregabalin. Again , since he is 9 years old , i would suggest checking with his pediatrician about the dosing of the above mentioned medicines. Hope this information is useful. Regards Dr.Alex