Herpes zoster in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus infection treated with zidovudine. Zidovudine Epidemiology Study Group.

To determine the prevalence, incidence, and effects on disease progression and survival of herpes zoster in patients with advanced human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) disease, data from a multicenter observational cohort study of 1044 patients with AIDS or AIDS-related complex (ARC) and CD4 cell count < or = 0.25 x 10(9)/L treated with zidovudine were analyzed. Of 163 patients (16%) with a history of herpes zoster at enrollment, 22 (13%) had a recurrence during the 2-year follow-up. For those without prior herpes zoster, the probability of its development was 6.3% at 1 and 8.8% at 2 years. Progression to AIDS was not associated with herpes zoster. By proportional hazards analysis, an initial occurrence of herpes zoster was associated with prolonged survival independent of baseline CD4 cell count and disease stage; however, recurrence tended to be associated with death. Thus, herpes zoster is relatively common in advanced HIV infection and its initial occurrence late in disease may indicate improved prognosis.