Abstract
Background: Studies showed that diabetes mellitus (DM) is often accompanied by impaired cell-mediated immunity, which potentially may increase the risk for infectious diseases, including herpes zoster (HZ). However, data on the relation between DM and HZ are scarce. This case-control study explored the association between DM and HZ.
Methods: This study was nested within a cohort of all members of a large health maintenance organization (HMO) in Israel. Cases totaled 22,294 members who were diagnosed with HZ between 2002 and 2006. Controls (n=88,895) were randomly selected from the remaining HMO population using frequency-matched age, sex, and duration of follow-up. Personal data on history of DM, lymphoma, leukemia, or AIDS, were obtained from computerized medical records.
Results: Adjusted analyses showed that the risk of HZ was associated with history of leukemia, lymphoma, use of steroids or antineoplastic medications and AIDS, particularly among patients under 45 years. In a multivariate analysis, DM was associated with an increased risk of HZ (OR=1.53; 95% CI: 1.44–1.62).
Conclusions: The data suggest that individuals with DM are at increased risk of HZ. Well-designed cohort studies may help to clarify the nature of this association.
- Received September 11, 2008.
