Burden of herpes zoster among Brazilian adults – a hospital-based study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of herpes zoster in adult patients treated at a large tertiary care hospital in Brazil over a 5-year period. METHODS: The medical records of suspected herpes zoster cases (based on ICD-10 codes) were identified for full review. Convenience sampling was used to select the medical records from a tertiary hospital in São Paulo. We collected data about co-existing medical conditions, medication use, herpes zoster-related clinical features and outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization. RESULTS: A total of 249 individuals whose first episode of herpes zoster occurred between 2010 and 2014 were included. The mean patient age was 55 years (range 18–96), and the majority were women (63.05%) and aged ≥ 50 years (63.86%). Medical comorbidities were reported in 92.77%, including diabetes (19.68%) and HIV infection (7.63%). Current/recent use of immunosuppressive agents was reported in 31.73%. A total of 65.86% of the patients were hospitalized: 102 patients (40.96%) were admitted for herpes zoster management, while 62 (24.90%) were already receiving inpatient care. The mean hospital length of stay was 16.60 days. One-third (34.14%) were managed as outpatients. Postherpetic neuralgia was reported as a complication in 18.07%. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective descriptive study found a high frequency of herpes zoster episodes in older adults with comorbidities who sought medical care at a tertiary hospital. These results also underscore the importance of understanding the epidemiology of this disease and developing control strategies for these at-risk populations in Brazil.

How large could the public health impact of introducing recombinant zoster vaccination for people aged ≥50 years in five Latin American countries be?

“…The low and high values used are shown in Figure 1 , with further details in Table S3. 3 , 8 , 9 , 23 , 43 , 45 , 47–49 , 51 For HZ incidence, a small study of 340 patients with HZ in a community hospital in Buenos Aires during 2013–2014 was used for Argentina. 47 A Brazilian study that reported monthly numbers of hospitalizations due to varicella and HZ during 2008–2013 provided values for Brazil.…”