OBJECTIVES: Herpes zoster (HZ) mainly affects elderly people and immunocompromised individuals. HZ is usually characterized by a unilateral painful skin rash. Its most common complication, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), may cause chronic debilitating pain. This study aimed to estimate the HZ incidence in individuals aged ≥50 years in Germany, the proportion of PHN and the economic burden. METHODS: From 2010 to 2014, HZ patients were recruited when consulting physicians in physician networks covering about 157,000 persons aged ≥50 years. PHN was defined as "worst pain" rated ≥3 on the zoster brief pain inventory persisting or appearing over 90 days after rash onset. Costs were calculated based on medical resource utilization and lost working time. RESULTS: HZ incidence was estimated as 6.7/1000 person-years, increasing with age to 9.4/1000 in ≥80 year-olds. Among 513 HZ patients enrolled, the proportion of PHN was 11.9%, rising with age to 14.3% in HZ patients ≥80 years. Estimated total cost per HZ patient was €156 from the healthcare system perspective and €311 from the societal perspective. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed previous findings that HZ causes a substantial clinical and economic burden in older German adults. It also confirmed the age-related increasing risk of HZ and PHN.
OBJECTIVES: Herpes zoster (HZ) mainly affects elderly people and immunocompromised individuals. HZ is usually characterized by a unilateral painful skin rash. Its most common complication, postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), may cause chronic debilitating pain. This study aimed to estimate the HZ incidence in individuals aged ≥50 years in Germany, the proportion of PHN and the economic burden. METHODS: From 2010 to 2014, HZ patients were recruited when consulting physicians in physician networks covering about 157,000 persons aged ≥50 years. PHN was defined as "worst pain" rated ≥3 on the zoster brief pain inventory persisting or appearing over 90 days after rash onset. Costs were calculated based on medical resource utilization and lost working time. RESULTS: HZ incidence was estimated as 6.7/1000 person-years, increasing with age to 9.4/1000 in ≥80 year-olds. Among 513 HZ patients enrolled, the proportion of PHN was 11.9%, rising with age to 14.3% in HZ patients ≥80 years. Estimated total cost per HZ patient was €156 from the healthcare system perspective and €311 from the societal perspective. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirmed previous findings that HZ causes a substantial clinical and economic burden in older German adults. It also confirmed the age-related increasing risk of HZ and PHN.
Authors: Sheng-Yuan Yu; Bi-Fa Fan; Fei Yang; Marco DiBonaventura; Yu-Xuan Chen; Ruo-Yu Li; Kristen King-Concialdi; Ian Kudel; Patrick Hlavacek; Markay Hopps; Margarita Udall; Alesia Sadosky; Joseph C Cappelleri Journal: Clinicoecon Outcomes Res Date: 2019-09-03
Authors: Ashleigh McGirr; Desiree Van Oorschot; Robyn Widenmaier; Michael Stokes; Michael L Ganz; Hyosung Jung; Lijoy Varghese; Desmond Curran Journal: Appl Health Econ Health Policy Date: 2019-10 Impact factor: 2.561
Authors: Sean Matthews; Antonio De Maria; Marco Passamonti; Giovanni Ristori; Idalba Loiacono; Anna Puggina; Desmond Curran Journal: Open Forum Infect Dis Date: 2019-01-12 Impact factor: 3.835
Authors: Ian Matthews; Mai Duong; Victoria L Parsons; Bayad Nozad; Nawab Qizilbash; Yash Patel; Boriana Guimicheva Journal: PLoS One Date: 2020-02-25 Impact factor: 3.240