Introduction: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a painful disease that mainly affects individuals whose immune system has been weakened because of increasing age (> 50 years) or certain diseases or treatments. We estimated the complete burden of HZ.
Methods: This population-based register study analysed healthcare data from the VEGA and Digitalis databases of Västra Götaland Region (VGR), Sweden. The VEGA database includes all patients in VGR, covering both hospital and primary care. The Digitalis records prescribed medications. The study population included patients aged ≥ 18 years with at least one registered primary or secondary HZ diagnosis (based on International Classification of Diseases [ICD] codes) between 2005 and 2021. Incidence rates (95% confidence intervals [CI]) were stratified by age, sex and diagnosis/analgesic prescription.
Results: Overall HZ incidence increased from 2.5 (95% CI 2.4-2.6) in 2005 to 4.2 (95% CI 4.1-4.3) in 2021. The increase in incidence was rapid from 2005 to 2013, followed by a plateauing trend. From 2014-2019, the lifetime risk of HZ, excluding recurrent cases, was 36.5% (95% CI 35.5-37.4%). Municipal differences ranged from 34.4% (95% CI 32.5-36.4%) to 43.6% (95% CI 39.9-47.4%). Recurrence rates of HZ were 8.7% and 9.1% with follow-up periods of 5.5 and 10.5 years, respectively. Reported postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) cases increased five-fold over the study period. In 2019, 19% of all HZ patients developed HZ-related neuropathic pain; 13.6% had signs of persistent pain (> 90 days; i.e. PHN). An increased occurrence of cerebral and cardiovascular disease was observed in HZ patients. Among high-risk groups the occurrence of HZ peaked among those with inflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
Conclusion: HZ and PHN risk in Sweden is comparable to that in other European countries prior to implementing HZ national vaccination programs. Municipal differences suggest that the lifetime risk of HZ in Sweden is at least 36.5%.
Clinical Trial Registration: NCT Number ( www.
Clinicaltrials: gov ).
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10828402 | PMC |
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s40121-023-00902-1 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
[Vaccination and cardiovascular diseases].
Herz
January 2025
Klinik für Kardiologie, Angiologie und internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Kirrberger Str. 1, 66421, Homburg/Saar, Deutschland.
Respiratory tract infections with influenza, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) and respiratory syncytial (RS) viruses and pneumococci as well as endogenous reactivation of varicella zoster viruses presenting as herpes zoster, are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, such as myocardial infarction or hospitalization for heart failure. Effective prevention of these events, particularly through influenza and pneumococcal vaccination, is well established and cost-effective. Despite guideline recommendations to vaccinate older patients and people at risk, vaccination rates in these population groups remain suboptimal and below average in international comparison.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHerpes zoster prevention in multiple sclerosis and neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorders.
Neurol Neurochir Pol
January 2025
Department of Neurology, Faculty of Medical Sciences in Zabrze, Medical University of Silesia in Katowice, Zabrze, Poland.
A working group convened by the Section of Multiple Sclerosis and Neuroimmunology of the Polish Neurological Society, the Polish Society of Family Medicine, and the Polish Society of Vaccinology has developed a consensus on supplementary data to the recommendations of the expert group of the Polish Society of Vaccinology, the Polish Society of Family Medicine, the Polish Dermatological Society, the Polish Association for the Study of Pain, and the Polish Neurological Society, and ECTRIMS/EAN of 2023 with regard to the currently available in Poland recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (RZV). It is intended for the prevention of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in individuals aged > 50 and individuals aged ≥ 18 who belong to herpes zoster risk groups. In Poland it is available with 50% reimbursement exclusively for patients aged 65 and older who have an increased risk of developing herpes zoster.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF[Recommendations for clinical practice: Prevention and management of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection during pregnancy and the perinatal period (extended version)].
Gynecol Obstet Fertil Senol
January 2025
Division of Virology, WHO Rubella National Reference Laboratory, Paris Saclay University Hospital, APHP, Paris, France; Université Paris-Saclay, INSERM U1184, CEA, Center for Immunology of Viral, Auto-immune, Hematological and Bacterial diseases (IMVA-HB/IDMIT), Fontenay-aux-Roses, France.
The Société de Pathologie Infectieuse de Langue Française released in 2024 a new national recommendation for clinical practice on the prevention and management of varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection during pregnancy and the perinatal period. The previous recommendation was issued in 1998, at a time of anti-VZV immunoglobulins shortage; it has hence become obsolete. This recommendation is a formalized expert consensus focusing on infectious diseases management; it is drawn up by a multidisciplinary working group (infectiologists, obstetricians, pediatricians, microbiologists, midwives, hygienists).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAssociation Between Child Varicella Vaccination and Zoster in Household Adults: A Retrospective Japanese Cohort Study.
Acta Paediatr
January 2025
Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Health Economics, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan.
Aim: Some countries are hesitant to implement routine varicella vaccination for children because of concerns over the exogenous boosting hypothesis, which suggests that vaccinating children may increase herpes zoster cases in adults. However, substantial evidence supporting this hypothesis is lacking. This study assessed the association between a child's varicella vaccination status and herpes zoster occurrence in adults in the same household.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAtypical Presentation of Painless Herpes Zoster in an Elderly Male: A Case Report.
Cureus
December 2024
Infectious Disease, Staten Island University Hospital, Staten Island, USA.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is a reactivation of the chickenpox virus that causes a painful, blistering rash. After a chickenpox infection, the virus lies dormant in nerve cells. When reactivated, usually in older adults or those with weakened immune systems, it travels along nerves, typically affecting a single strip of skin called a dermatome.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!