Herpes zoster ophthalmicus: an early pointer to HIV-1 positivity in young African patients.

We studied prospectively 30 patients, seen over 10 months, who had herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) and who were classified by age, sex, ophthalmological observations and HIV-1 status. Of patients who presented with HZO, 40% were HIV positive, and the majority were less than 40 years of age. The clinical manifestation of HZO has a high positive predictive value for HIV positivity in young patients with this viral infection.