GlaxoSmithKline Study Shows Covid-19 Patients Over 50 at Greater Risk for Shingles
April 06 2022 - 10:52AM
Dow Jones News
By Chris Wack
GlaxoSmithKline Plc said a study it conducted showed people age
50 or older in the U.S. who have had Covid-19 may be at greater
risk of developing shingles compared with those who haven't been
diagnosed with Covid-19.
The company said that in this retrospective cohort study, people
aged 50 or older who contracted Covid-19 were 15% more likely to
develop shingles compared with controls who were never diagnosed
with Covid-19.
The risk of shingles was elevated for up to six months after a
Covid-19 diagnosis. People hospitalized for Covid-19 were 21% more
likely to develop shingles.
The study observed adults aged 50 years and older using claims
data from two large U.S. databases and matched persons with and
without Covid-19 using various known shingles risk factors. Anyone
vaccinated against either shingles or Covid-19 was excluded from
the cohorts.
Glaxo said the results highlight the importance of preventative
measures, such as vaccination, to protect the health and wellbeing
of older adults who are at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases
like Covid-19 and shingles.
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by a
reactivation of the varicella zoster virus--the same virus that
causes chickenpox--which lays dormant in the body after the initial
infection. Nearly all adults over age 50 carry the virus that
causes shingles. Natural age-related decline of the immune system
can allow VZV to resurface, causing shingles. People with a
suppressed or compromised immune system also are at increased risk
of developing shingles.
The study authors, as well as case report publications, suggest
that Covid-19 could trigger shingles by disrupting immune cells,
allowing VZV to reactivate. Glaxo said more research is needed to
confirm this hypothesis.
Write to Chris Wack at chris.wack@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 06, 2022 10:37 ET (14:37 GMT)
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