Abstract
Objectives: To assess the incidence of Herpes Zoster (HZ) and its complications in the Israeli general population and specifically in immune-compromised individuals, and to identify risk factors for developing HZ and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). Methods: A retrospective database search for newly diagnosed cases of HZ and of PHN during 2006-2010 was conducted using the comprehensive longitudinal database of Maccabi Health Services. Cox-proportional hazards models were used to assess associations between risk factors and HZ and PHN. Results: During 2006-2010 there were 28,977 newly diagnosed cases of HZ and 1508 newly diagnosed cases of PHN. Incidence density rate of HZ was 3.46 per 1000 person-years in the total population and 12.8 per 1000 person-years in immune-compromised patients. HZ and PHN incidence increased sharply with age. 12.4% and 3.1% of elderly HZ patients (≥65 years) developed PHN or ophthalmic complications, respectively. In multivariable analyses, HZ and PHN were associated with female sex, higher socioeconomic status, diabetes mellitus, cancer history, and HIV treatment. Conclusions: Extrapolating to the entire Israeli population, we estimate over 24,000 new cases of HZ and 1250 new cases of PHN each year. Cost-effectiveness analysis should be performed to determine the threshold age for vaccination against HZ.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 463-469 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Journal of Infection |
| Volume | 67 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Nov 2013 |
Keywords
- Herpes Zoster
- Incidence
- Neuralgia
- Postherpetic
- Risk factors
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- Microbiology (medical)
- Infectious Diseases
