Conditions and Factors That Raise the Risk of Developing Skin Lesions After Shingles

Abstract

Qiao Xue,1 Jie Ji,2 Wen-Ge Fan,1 Jian-Peng Pan,3 Mei Wei,1 Hao Ding,1 Jun Zhao1 1Department of Dermatology, Changshu No. 1 People’s Hospital, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changshu, Jiangsu Province, 215500, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Dermatology, The First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, 210000, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Hand Surgery, Changshu No. 2 People’s Hospital, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Yangzhou University, Changshu, Jiangsu Province, 215500, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Jun Zhao, Department of Dermatology, Changshu Hospital Affiliated to Soochow University, Changshu No. 1 People’s Hospital, No. 1 Shuyuan Street, Yushan Town, Changshu, Jiangsu Province, 215500, People’s Republic of China, Tel [phone], Email [email protected]: To understand the situation and risk factors of skin lesions following the eruption of shingles.Methods: We selected 275 patients with shingles who had been diagnosed and treated in the Dermatology Department of Changshu No. 1 People’s Hospital between July 2017 and March 2022. Age, gender, skin lesion site, skin lesion type, prodromal pain, history of diabetes, history of hypertension, history of other immune diseases, as well as other pertinent clinical data, were collected. The severity and pain of patients with severe shingles were evaluated, and their fasting blood sugar and plasma albumin were measured for routine antiviral treatment. They were followed up 6 months—the types of skin lesions and pertinent clinical data were compared, and the risk factors for skin lesions were analyzed.Results: There were no statistically significant differences in gender, age, or site among the different types of skin lesions (P > 0.05). The severity of skin lesions, acute pain, history of diabetes, history of scars, low immune function, combined with hypoproteinemia, squeezing and stripping behavior, and post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) were significantly associated with skin lesions (P < 0.05). The results of multivariate analysis showed that: age ≥ 60 years old, severe skin injury combined with diabetes, low immune function, scar history, squeezing and stripping were independent risk factors for the development of skin lesions due to shingles.Conclusion: There is no significant difference in age, gender, site, or other characteristics between the types of skin lesions due to shingles. The independent risk factors of skin lesions due to shingles are old age, severe rash, history of scars, diabetes, low immunity, squeezing, and peeling.Keywords: risk factors, skin lesions due to shingles

Keywords

• risk factors
• skin lesions due to shingles