title: Racial and psychosocial risk factors for herpes zoster in the elderly.
abstract: The effects of black race and psychologic stress on the risk of acquiring herpes zoster in late life were examined. Subjects were participants of a stratified probability sample of community-dwelling persons > or = 65 years old. A comprehensive health survey was administered in 1986-1987 (P1), 1989-1990 (P2), and 1992-1994 (P3). Incident cases of zoster between P1 and P2 and P2 and P3 served as the dependent variables. Hypothesis-testing variables included race, negative life events, and measures of social support. Control variables included age, sex, education, cancer, other chronic diseases, hospitalization, activities of daily living, self-rated health, depression, and cigarette smoking. From P1 to P2, 1.4% of black and 3.4% of white subjects developed zoster (P < .001). From P2 to P3, 2.9% of black and 7.5% of white subjects developed zoster (P < .001). After controlling for variables, black subjects were significantly less likely to develop zoster than were white subjects (adjusted odds ratio, 0.37; 95% confidence interval, 0.26, 0.53; P = .0001). Most measures of stress were not significantly related to zoster; however, study limitations preclude definitive conclusions.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry and Sociology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC 27710, USA.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Schmader
authors.forename: L K
authors.initials: LK
authors.lastname: George
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Burchett
authors.forename: C F
authors.initials: CF
authors.lastname: Pieper
mesh_terms: D001741:Black or African American / Q000523:psychology; D000368:Aged; D044383:Black People; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology / Q000276:immunology; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D009657:North Carolina / Q000453:epidemiology; D012307:Risk Factors; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications; D044465:White People / Q000523:psychology