GSK Gsk Plc

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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