OBJECTIVES: We performed a case-control study to determine if participants with herpes zoster had fewer contacts with persons with varicella or zoster, and with young children, to explore the hypothesis that exposure to persons with varicella zoster virus (VZV) results in "immune boosting." METHODS: Participants were patients of the multispecialty Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin. We identified patients aged 40 to 79 years with a new diagnosis of zoster from August 2000 to July 2005. We frequency matched control participants to case participants for age. We confirmed diagnoses by chart review and assessed exposures by interview. RESULTS: Interviews were completed by 633 of 902 eligible case participants (70.2%) and 655 of 1149 control participants (57.0%). The number of varicella contacts was not associated with zoster; there was no trend even at the highest exposure level (3 or more contacts). Similarly, there was no association with exposure to persons with zoster or to children, or with workplace exposures. CONCLUSIONS: Although exposure to VZV in our study was relatively low, the absence of a relationship with zoster reflects the uncertain influence of varicella circulation on zoster epidemiology.
OBJECTIVES: We performed a case-control study to determine if participants with herpes zoster had fewer contacts with persons with varicella or zoster, and with young children, to explore the hypothesis that exposure to persons with varicella zoster virus (VZV) results in "immune boosting." METHODS:Participants were patients of the multispecialty Marshfield Clinic in Wisconsin. We identified patients aged 40 to 79 years with a new diagnosis of zoster from August 2000 to July 2005. We frequency matched control participants to case participants for age. We confirmed diagnoses by chart review and assessed exposures by interview. RESULTS: Interviews were completed by 633 of 902 eligible case participants (70.2%) and 655 of 1149 control participants (57.0%). The number of varicella contacts was not associated with zoster; there was no trend even at the highest exposure level (3 or more contacts). Similarly, there was no association with exposure to persons with zoster or to children, or with workplace exposures. CONCLUSIONS: Although exposure to VZV in our study was relatively low, the absence of a relationship with zoster reflects the uncertain influence of varicella circulation on zoster epidemiology.
Authors: H H Bernstein; E P Rothstein; B M Watson; K S Reisinger; M M Blatter; C O Wellman; S A Chartrand; I Cho; A Ngai; C J White Journal: Pediatrics Date: 1993-12 Impact factor: 7.124
Authors: Ana M Cebrián-Cuenca; Javier Díez-Domingo; María San-Martín Rodríguez; Joan Puig-Barberá; Jorge Navarro-Pérez Journal: BMC Fam Pract Date: 2010-05-06 Impact factor: 2.497
Authors: Benson Ogunjimi; Evelien Smits; Steven Heynderickx; Johan Van den Bergh; Joke Bilcke; Hilde Jansens; Ronald Malfait; Jose Ramet; Holden T Maecker; Nathalie Cools; Philippe Beutels; Pierre Van Damme Journal: Clin Vaccine Immunol Date: 2014-01-15