This article is more than 5 years old. Information may no longer be current.
Partner bereavement does not increase risk for herpes zoster
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
Researchers from Denmark and the United Kingdom reported no association between psychological stress following the death of a loved one and increased risk for herpes zoster.
Previous research suggests that psychological stress may provoke reactivation of latent herpesviruses, including varicella zoster virus — the cause of herpes zoster. However, “epidemiological data assessing stress as a risk factor for [herpes zoster] are sparse and inconsistent,” Sigrun A.J. Schmidt, PhD, from the department of clinical epidemiology at Aarhus University Hospital in Denmark, and colleagues wrote. “The death of a loved one … is likely to affect most persons gravely regardless of coping mechanisms, making it a useful model for studying the effects of psychological stress.”
The researchers conducted two parallel case-control studies to explore the association between bereavement and herpes zoster using data covering the entire Danish population and general practices in the U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink. Schmidt and colleagues identified patients with a herpes zoster diagnosis in 1997-2013 in Denmark (n = 190,671) and 2000-2013 in the U.K. (n = 150,207), and matched each case with four controls by sex, age, and general practice (only in the U.K.) using risk-set sampling.
In Denmark, the adjusted ORs for the association between partner bereavement and herpes zoster was 1.05 (99% CI, 1.03–1.07), while in the U.K. the association was 1.01 (99% CI, 0.98–1.05). The researchers reported that the pooled estimates were 0.72 for bereavement within 0 to 7 days before the index date, 0.9 for 8 to 14 days, 1.1 for 15 to 30 days, 1.08 for 31 to 90 days, 1.02 for 91 to 365 days, 1.04 for 366 to 1,095 days and 1.03 for more than 1,095 days.
“We found no evidence of a substantial increase in the risk of [herpes zoster] following partner bereavement,” Schmidt and researchers concluded. “The observed decrease in the relative risk of [herpes zoster] within 14 days after bereavement followed by corresponding increase risks within subsequent months is compatible with delayed health care contact due to the loss.” – by Savannah Demko
Disclosure: Schmidt reports receiving grant funding from the National Institute for Health Research for work outside the study. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts