title: Burden of illness, quality of life, and healthcare utilization among patients with herpes zoster in South Korea: a prospective clinical-epidemiological study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the herpes zoster (HZ) disease burden, including the severity and duration of HZ-associated pain, its impact on quality of life (QoL), and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU) in a South Korean clinical setting.
  
  
  METHODS
  Patients aged ≥50 years were followed prospectively for ≤6 months. Based on the duration of their episode at enrollment, cases were classified as incident (<7 days) or prevalent (≥7 days). HZ pain and discomfort were measured with the HZ Severity of Illness (HZ-SOI) severity-by-duration composite score.
  
  
  RESULTS
  One hundred fifty-one patients (69.5% prevalent cases) were enrolled. Prodrome pain was experienced by 68.2% of patients, of whom 95.1% experienced moderate-to-severe pain; post-herpetic neuralgia was experienced by 38.4%. Prevalent disease, higher acute pain, and older age were significant predictors of greater HZ-SOI, while use of antivirals was associated with decreased HZ-SOI. HZ-associated pain was associated with reduced QoL and affected all daily living activities (particularly mood, life enjoyment, general activities, and sleep), resulting in significant HCRU, including primary care doctor, specialist, or physiotherapist consultations, hospitalizations, and emergency department visits.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Severe morbidity, impaired QoL, and significant HCRU are associated with HZ in South Korea, especially in older patients, supporting the need for early intervention and preventive strategies to reduce the HZ-associated disease burden.
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Korea University Guro Hospital, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Haejun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Song
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, The Catholic University of Korea, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jeongdeuk
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Dermatology, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Muhyung
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Ansan Hospital, Kyunggido, Korea.
authors.forename: Won Suk
authors.initials: WS
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, The Catholic University of Korea, Incheon St. Mary's Hospital, Incheon, Korea.
authors.forename: Jung Hyun
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Mi Suk
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: JSS Medical Research, St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Mahdi
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hashemi
authors.affiliation: JSS Medical Research, St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada; McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: Emmanouil
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rampakakis
authors.affiliation: Temple University, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Kosuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawai
authors.affiliation: Merck & Co., West Point, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Ron
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: White
authors.affiliation: Merck & Co., West Point, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Camilo
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Acosta
authors.affiliation: JSS Medical Research, St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada; McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: John S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Sampalis
authors.affiliation: Division of Infectious Diseases, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University Guro Hospital, 97, Guro-dong gil, Guro-gu, Seoul, 152-703 Korea. Electronic address: heejinmd@korea.ac.kr.
authors.forename: Hee Jin
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Cheong
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D017281:Cost of Illness; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014645:Herpesvirus 3, Human / Q000254:growth & development / Q000302:isolation & purification; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009017:Morbidity; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D056910:Republic of Korea; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome
keywords: Burden of illness; Herpes zoster; Observational; Pain; Quality of life; South Korea