Herpes zoster risk and burden of disease in immunocompromised populations: a population-based study using health system integrated databases, 2009-2014

• Published in: BMC infectious diseases 2020-11, Vol.20 (1), p.905-905, Article 905
• Main Authors: Muñoz-Quiles, Cintia, López-Lacort, Mónica, Díez-Domingo, Javier, Orrico-Sánchez, Alejandro
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adolescent; Adult; Age; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Ambulatory care; Autoimmune diseases; Calendars; Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; Codes; Cost of Illness; Databases, Factual; Demographic aspects; Diabetes; Disease; Epidemiology; Female; Gender; Health aspects; Health care; Health Resources; Health services utilization; Healthcare utilization; Herpes zoster; Herpes Zoster - complications; Herpes Zoster - epidemiology; Herpes Zoster - virology; Herpesvirus 3, Human; HIV; Hospitalization; Human immunodeficiency virus; Humans; Immunocompromised; Immunocompromised Host; Incidence; Infectious diseases; Inflammatory bowel disease; International Classification of Diseases; Length of Stay; Male; Middle Aged; Morbidity; Neuralgia, Postherpetic - etiology; Patient Acceptance of Health Care; Patient outcomes; Population; Population studies; Population-based studies; Population-based study; Primary care; Recurrence; Resource consumption; Retrospective Studies; Risk; Risk factors; Shingles (Disease); Spain - epidemiology; Stem cell transplantation; Stem cells; Transplantation; Transplants & implants; Utilization; Vaccine; Vaccines; Young Adult
• ISSN: 1471-2334; 1471-2334
• DOI: 10.1186/s12879-020-05648-6

Estimate the incidence of herpes zoster (HZ), its complications and healthcare utilization rates in adults (≥ 18-years-old) with a wide range of immunocompromised (IC) conditions compared to IC-free cohort. A population-based retrospective study using the Valencia healthcare Integrated Databases (VID) (2009-2014). HZ and IC were defined using ICD-9 codes in primary care (PC) and hospitalization registers. Incidence rates (IR), risk of HZ, HZ-recurrence, HZ-complications and healthcare utilization rates were estimated in the IC-cohort compared to IC-free. The study population consisted of 4,382,590 subjects, of which 578,873 were IC (13%). IR (in 1000 persons-year) of HZ overall, in IC and in IC-free cohort was 5.02, 9.15 and 4.65, respectively. IR of HZ increased with age in both cohorts and it was higher for all IC conditions studied, reaching up to twelvefold in subjects with stem cell transplantation. IC subjects had 51% higher risk of developing HZ, 25% higher HZ-recurrence and the risk of HZ-complications was 2.37 times higher than in IC-free. HZ-related healthcare utilization was higher in the IC-cohort than in IC-free (number of hospitalizations 2.93 times greater, hospital stays 12% longer, 66% more HZ-specialist visits, 2% more PC visits, sick leaves 18% longer and 20% higher antiviral dispensation). Patients suffering from all the IC conditions studied are at higher risk of developing HZ, HZ-recurrence and post-herpetic complications, which implies a substantial morbidity and a high consumption of resources. These results should be considered for vaccine policy implementation.