Mortality in cancer patients previously diagnosed with herpes zoster in the hospital setting: a nationwide cohort study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Herpes zoster (HZ) is associated with underlying immunodeficiency and may thereby predict mortality of subsequent cancer.

Methods

By using Danish nationwide medical databases, we identified all cancer patients with a prior hospital-based HZ diagnosis during 1982-2011 (n=2754) and a matched cancer cohort without prior HZ (n=26 243). We computed adjusted mortality rate ratios (aMRRs) associating prior HZ with mortality following cancer.

Results

Prior HZ was associated with decreased mortality within the year after cancer diagnosis (aMRR 0.87; 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.81-0.93), but not thereafter (aMRR 1.07; 95% CI: 0.99-1.15). However, prior HZ predicted increased mortality throughout the entire follow-up among patients aged <60 years (aMRR 1.39; 95% C

SUBMITTER: Schmidt SA 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4647253 | biostudies-literature | 2015 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature