Incidence and costs of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia in German adults aged ≥50 years: A prospective study.
J Infect
; 76(5): 475-482, 2018 05.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-29428228
ABSTRACT
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.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Neuralgia Posherpética
/
Herpes Zóster
Tipo de estudio:
Etiology_studies
/
Health_economic_evaluation
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Incidence_studies
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Observational_studies
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Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
País/Región como asunto:
Europa
Idioma:
En
Revista:
J Infect
Año:
2018
Tipo del documento:
Article