Burden of herpes zoster among Brazilian adults - a hospital-based study

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To describe the clinical features of herpes zoster in adult patients treated at a large tertiary care hospital in Brazil over a 5-year period. METHODS: The medical records of suspected herpes zoster cases (based on ICD-10 codes) were identified for full review. Convenience sampling was used to select the medical records from a tertiary hospital in São Paulo. We collected data about co-existing medical conditions, medication use, herpes zoster-related clinical features and outcomes, and healthcare resource utilization. RESULTS: A total of 249 individuals whose first episode of herpes zoster occurred between 2010 and 2014 were included. The mean patient age was 55 years (range 18-96), and the majority were women (63.05%) and aged = 50 years (63.86%). Medical comorbidities were reported in 92.77%, including diabetes (19.68%) and HIV infection (7.63%). Current/recent use of immunosuppressive agents was reported in 31.73%. A total of 65.86% of the patients were hospitalized: 102 patients (40.96%) were admitted for herpes zoster management, while 62 (24.90%) were already receiving inpatient care. The mean hospital length of stay was 16.60 days. One-third (34.14%) were managed as outpatients. Postherpetic neuralgia was reported as a complication in 18.07%. CONCLUSIONS: This retrospective descriptive study found a high frequency of herpes zoster episodes in older adults with comorbidities who sought medical care at a tertiary hospital. These results also underscore the importance of understanding the epidemiology of this disease and developing control strategies for these at-risk populations in Brazil.

Keywords

• herpes zoster
• neuralgia
• postherpetic
• epidemiology
• aged