title: Incidences of Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia in Japanese Adults Aged 50 Years and Older From a Community-based Prospective Cohort Study: The SHEZ Study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many cross-sectional studies have examined the incidences of herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), but prospective studies in Japanese older adults are lacking. Therefore, we conducted a community-based prospective cohort study to determine the incidence in Japanese adults aged ≥50 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  We recruited 12 522 participants from Shozu County, Kagawa Prefecture, between December 2008 and November 2009 and followed participants for 3 years. When a subject presented with symptoms suggestive of HZ, they were examined at collaborating medical institutions and cooperated with onset and recovery surveys (eg, measurement of varicella zoster virus-specific immunity and a pain survey). The hazard ratios (HRs) of HZ and PHN according to sex and age were analyzed by Cox regression analysis with a significance level of 5%.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The incidence of HZ was 10.9/1000 person-years (men: 8.5/1000 person-years; women: 12.8/1000 person-years) and was significantly higher in women than in men (HR 1.5; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-1.8). The incidence of PHN was 2.1/1000 person-years (men: 1.7/1000 person-years; women: 2.4/1000 person-years), with no significant sex differences. A total of 19% of HZ cases progressed to PHN; no sex-specific difference in the proportion of PHN cases was observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We clarified the accurate incidences of HZ and PHN in a population of Japanese older adults. These incidences increased with age. HZ incidence was higher in women than in men, while PHN incidence did not differ markedly between the sexes.
authors.affiliation: The Research Foundation for Microbial Diseases of Osaka University.
authors.forename: Yukiko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takao
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Miyazaki
authors.forename: Masayuki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okeda
authors.forename: Fumitake
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Onishi
authors.forename: Shuichiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yano
authors.forename: Yasuyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Gomi
authors.forename: Toyokazu
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ishikawa
authors.forename: Yoshinobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okuno
authors.forename: Yasuko
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Mori
authors.forename: Hideo
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Asada
authors.forename: Koichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamanishi
authors.forename: Hiroyasu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Iso
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D055812:Community-Based Participatory Research; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D017678:Sex Distribution