Abstract: Objective To evaluate the clinical efficacy of valacyclovir, pregabalin and mecobalamin combined with high-energy red light irradiation in the treatment of herpes zoster (HZ) in the elderly, and to explore the possible mechanism. Methods A total of 90 elderly patients with acute HZ were randomly divided into the experimental group and the control group, with 45 cases in each group. The control group was treated with drugs as valacyclovir, pregabalin and mecobalamin, and the experimental group was treated with high-energy red light irradiation on the basis of the drug treatment.The score of Visual Analogue Scale (VAS), serum levels of interleukin-2(IL-2), IL-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) before treatment, 7 days and 4 weeks after treatment were detected, and the clinical efficacy of the two groups was assessed and compared. Results The VAS scores of the two groups after 7 days and 4 weeks of treatment were significantly lower than those before treatment (P<0.05), especially in the experimental group (P<0.05). Compared with those before treatment, the levels of IL-2 7 days and 4 weeks after treatment were increased, and the levels of IL-6 and TNF-α were decreased in the two groups(P<0.05), especially in the experimental group (P<0.05). The effective rate in the experimental group was 86.67%, compared with 66.67% in the control group (P<0.05). Conclusions Valacyclovir, pregabalin and mecobalamin combined with high-energy red light irradiation is more effective in the treatment of the elderly patients with HZ, and its mechanism may be related to the regulation of immune response and the reduction of inflammation.

Key words: herpes zoster, valaciclovir, pregabalin, methylcobalamin, high-energy red light, inflammatory cytokines