Open AccessThe risk of herpes zoster virus infection in patients with depression
Author(s) -
Hyo Geun Choi,
Eui-Joong Kim,
Young Kyung Lee,
Miyoung Kim
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.59
H-Index - 148
eISSN - 1536-5964
pISSN - 0025-7974
DOI - 10.1097/md.0000000000017430
Subject(s) - medicine , depression (economics) , hazard ratio , cohort , cohort study , population , pediatrics , confidence interval , environmental health , economics , macroeconomics
The features of herpes zoster share some commonalities with depression, including decreased cellular immunity, a close correlation with nutritional status, and a higher prevalence in the elderly population. We aimed to assess the association between herpes zoster infection and depression in the Korean population. We performed a longitudinal follow-up study of a nationwide sample cohort derived from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Individuals diagnosed with depression between 2002 and 2013 (n = 58,278) as well as matched controls (n = 233,112), with both groups comprising 34.3% male and 65.7% female subjects, were extracted and analyzed for the presence of herpes zoster infection. Depression was diagnosed based on the International Classification of Diseases tenth revision (ICD-10) codes F31–F39, while herpes zoster was diagnosed as ICD-10 B02. The rate of herpes zoster infection was higher in the depressed group (6.8% [3967/58,278]) than in the control group (6.3% [14,689/233,122], P < .001). The adjusted hazard ratio (HR) for herpes zoster infection was 1.09 (95% CI: 1.05–1.13) in the depressed group ( P < .001). Subgroup analyses revealed that the adjusted HRs for herpes zoster infection were higher only in women younger than 60 years among participants with depression. These HRs were 1.13 (95% CI: 1.02–1.25; P = .016) in women younger than 40 years and 1.11 (95% CI: 1.04–1.17; P < .001) in women aged 40–59 years. Depression is a predictor of herpes zoster infection in Korean women younger than 60 years.