Incidence and economic burden of herpes zoster and its complications in immunocompromised adults: a retrospective cohort study in an eastern county, China

Herpes zoster (HZ) is a neurocutaneous disease caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) from latent infection of the dorsal sensory or cranial nerve ganglion. 1 Cohen J.I Clinical practice: herpes zoster. N Engl J Med. 2013; 369: 255-263 Crossref PubMed Scopus (428) Google Scholar When the cell-mediated immune system is weakened, the latent virus can be activated, causing a typical unilateral distribution of clustered blisters and pustules, which is termed HZ. HZ can cause a series of complications, the most common of which is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). 2 Johnson R.W Rice A.S Clinical practice. Postherpetic neuralgia. N Engl J Med. 2014; 371: 1526-1533 Crossref PubMed Scopus (309) Google Scholar With the high incidence of malignant tumors, increasing number of organ transplants and widespread use of immunosuppressive drugs, more and more people are suffering from immune dysfunction. Our prior study published in J Infect indicated that immunocompromised (IC) individuals may have an increased risk of developing HZ and HZ-related complications. 3 Sun X.H Wei Z Lin HB Jit M Li Z.W Fu C.X Incidence and disease burden of herpes zoster in the population aged ≥50 years in China: data from an integrated health care network. J Infect. 2021; 82: 253-260 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (15) Google Scholar