Herpes Zoster Virus Archives - Infectious Disease Advisor

2003 to 2014 Showed Decrease in Incidence of Herpes Zoster in Children

June 12, 2019

From 2003 to 2014, there was a decrease in herpes zoster incidence among children, with lower incidence rates for varicella-vaccinated versus unvaccinated children.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus Cases Increased in 2004 to 2012

May 17, 2019

From 2004 to 2012, there was a more than threefold increase in the incidence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus in the US.

Prevention

Herpes Zoster Vaccine Trials Meta-Analysis: Comparative Efficacy and Safety

By

Infectious Disease Advisor Contributing Writer

May 15, 2019

Compared with the live zoster vaccine, adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine had significantly higher vaccine efficacy (VE) against herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia in older adults. There were also no differences in safety between the 2 vaccines, according to a network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials published in Vaccine. This systematic review of published randomized…

Risk of stroke after herpes zoster in patients with autoimmune diseases

Prevention, Uncategorized

Herpes Zoster Risk and Vaccination Recommendations in Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis

By

Brandon May

April 1, 2019

Investigators assessed the risk for herpes zoster and provided recommendations regarding treatment in patients with psoriasis.

Prevention

Case of Recurrent Varicella After Long-Term Adalimumab for Ankylosing Spondylitis

By

Nicole Clemons

March 8, 2019

A 34-year-old man with a history of ankylosing spondylitis presented to the hospital complaining of fever, cough, malaise, and widespread vesicular rash.

Herpes zoster, or shingles, is a reactivation of a previous herpes varicella-zoster virus infection. It can be one of the earliest manifestations of HIV. A longitudinal study showed an incidence of 29.4 cases per 1000 person-years among people seropositive for HIV vs 2.0 cases per 1000 person-years among control participants who were seronegative for HIV.3 Shingles risk and severity may be increased with increasing immunosuppression.4 Because shingles has a distinctive disease course and lesions, clinical diagnosis is usually accurate, but laboratory studies may be required for confirmation.5 Patients often first experience pain along one of the sensory nerves of the skin, followed by a painful rash several days later.6 The rash begins with grouped vesicles confined to 1 dermatome or spread over 2 adjacent dermatomes. The vesicles eventually crust over and then heal 3 to 4 weeks later, but may result in significant scarring. Pain sometimes persists after resolution of the vesiculation (ie, postherpetic neuralgia).

Prevention

Trends in US Herpes Zoster Hospitalizations From 2001 to 2015

By

Zahra Masoud

February 12, 2019

The 2007 and 2008 shingles and varicella vaccination recommendations may have contributed to the declining herpes zoster hospitalization rates in some groups.

Treatments

Treating Shingles Does Not Reduce Increased Risk for Stroke

By

Natasha Priya Dyal, MD

February 11, 2019

The risk for stroke is significantly increased after the appearance of shingles, despite adequate antiviral therapy and administration of the shingles vaccine.