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Herpes zoster is associated with prior statin use: a population-based case-control study
Shiu-Dong Chung1, Ming-Chieh Tsai2, Shih-Ping Liu3
1Division of Urology, Department of Surgery, Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Sleep Research Center, Taipei Medical University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.
Plos One
|October 25, 2014
Summary
Prior statin use was linked to a higher occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ). This population-based study found statin users had an increased odds ratio for developing HZ.
Area of Science:
- Medical research
- Epidemiology
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Investigating the potential link between statin medication and herpes zoster (HZ) incidence.
- Utilizing a population-based case-control design for robust analysis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if there is an association between prior statin use and the occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ).
Main Methods:
- A case-control study design was employed using data from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database 2000.
- Included 47,359 cases of HZ and 142,077 controls.
- Conditional logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) for statin use.
Main Results:
- 13.0% of subjects reported statin use, with higher prevalence in HZ cases (15.5%) versus controls (12.1%).
- Statin users showed an adjusted OR of 1.28 (95% CI: 1.24–1.32) for HZ.
- The highest OR for prior statin use among HZ cases was observed in the 18–44 age group (OR: 1.69; 95% CI: 1.45–1.92).
- Regular and irregular statin users had adjusted ORs of 1.32 (95% CI: 1.27–1.38) and 1.23 (95% CI: 1.18–1.29), respectively.
Conclusions:
- Prior statin use is significantly associated with an increased occurrence of herpes zoster (HZ).
- The findings suggest a potential link warranting further investigation into the mechanisms involved.
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