title: Self-reported herpes zoster, pain, and health care seeking in the Health and Retirement Study: implications for interpretation of health care-based studies.
abstract: To describe self-reported herpes zoster (HZ) and explore factors that could impact interpretation of results from health care-based HZ studies.
  
  
  
  We performed logistic regression using data from the 2008 Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to evaluate risk factors for having a history of HZ and experiencing severe HZ pain, and predictors for seeking health care for HZ.
  
  
  
  Among 14,564 respondents aged ≥55 years, women were more likely than men to report a history of HZ (15.7% vs. 11.6%, P < .01). Blacks (6.4% vs. 14.7% in whites, P < .01) and respondents with less than a high school diploma (12.2% vs.14.2% in respondents with at least a high school diploma, P = .01) were less likely to report a history of HZ. Women, blacks, Hispanics, and those with less than a high school diploma were more likely to report severe HZ pain. Most (91.1%) respondents sought health care for HZ; Hispanics (64.2% vs. 92.1% in whites, P < .001) and those with recurrent HZ were less likely to seek health care for HZ, whereas those with severe pain were more likely (95.4% vs. 87.9% in those without severe pain, P < .01).
  
  
  
  HRS provides a new platform for studies of HZ, one which allowed us to uncover issues that warrant particular attention when interpreting results of health care-based studies.
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA. Electronic address: chales@cdc.gov.
authors.forename: Craig M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Hales
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Rafael
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harpaz
authors.affiliation: Division of Viral Diseases, National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA.
authors.forename: Stephanie R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bialek
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D057187:Independent Living; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010146:Pain / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D010147:Pain Measurement; D010342:Patient Acceptance of Health Care / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012179:Retirement; D018570:Risk Assessment; D057566:Self Report; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D012737:Sex Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014481:United States
keywords: Epidemiologic methods; Health care seeking behavior; Health surveys; Herpes zoster; Medical records; Pain; Population surveillance; Risk factors