A population based study of the epidemiology of Herpes Zoster and its complications

Herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in Catalonia (Spain)

“…24 In addition, studies in Spain (Navarre, 19 Valencia, [14][15][16] and Madrid 18 ) based on administrative data from primary healthcare show very similar results (overall incidence in all age groups of about 4 per 1000 inhabitants, although the Valencian study 14,15 did not include subjects aged <14 y). The study by Yawn et al, 7 one of the most comprehensive epidemiological studies of HZ, found similar incidence rates to those observed in Spain, as did other studies performed in Europe, [25][26][27][28][29] Israel, 30 and the United States. 31 The present study is the first in Spain to estimate the incidence of PHN by direct analysis of data from the medical records of patients and not through secondary sources (primary healthcare or hospital registers).…”

Sociodemographic characteristics and chronic medical conditions as risk factors for herpes zoster

“…The overall IDR of HZ in this study is slightly higher than those reported for other developed countries, which range between 1.2 and 4.8 per 1000 person-years, 12,15,26 for all age groups. 29 Differences in incidence among geographic areas could be influenced by the climatological factor.…”

“…Previous studies have found that incidence increased markedly with age, with the peak occurring around 75-79 y, and decreasing above that age. 26,27,29,33 The underlying cause could be a gradually reduced risk of HZ, explained by the hypothesis that exposure to VZV provides the host with progressive immunity to VZV reactivation. 40 Also this age group could be more affected by the underreporting of episodes, due to their greater degree of home attendance or institutionalization.…”

“…44 However, another study performed in Israel during 2006-2010 found that, in multivariable analyses, HZ and postherpetic neuralgia were associated with higher SES, female sex, DM, cancer history, and HIV treatment. 26 The disparity of these results could be attributed to the heterogeneity of methods used to measure SES, with the consequent lack of comparability, and the added constraint of using ecological data in most studies. The different patterns in health service utilization could be affecting our data.…”

Varicella zoster virus infection

“…Age is the most important risk factor for PHN, with the risk increasing rapidly after 50 years of age 3,20 . The population incidence of zoster is ~3−4 per 1,000 patient-years of observation, with the incidence varying from ~1 per 1,000 patientyears of observation in children aged <10 years to >10 per 1,000 patient-years of observation in adults aged ≥60 years [20][21][22] . By the age of 85 years, >50% of the population reports at least one episode of zoster 20 .…”