title: Incidence of herpes zoster and post-herpetic neuralgia in Italy: Results from a 3-years population-based study.
abstract: Herpes Zoster (HZ) and its main complication, post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), represent important public health issues because of their relevant burden among older adults. However, data on the epidemiology of HZ and PHN in Italy are very limited. A population-based study was performed by seeking for cases of HZ and PHN, occurred in the period 2013-2015, in the clinical charts of 56 General Practitioners working in 4 Italian Regions (Liguria, Puglia, Toscana and Veneto). The main objective of the study was to estimate the incidence of HZ and the proportion of PHN (at 1 and 3 mo from the onset of HZ; PHN1 and PHN3) among people aged ≥ 50 y. Overall, 598 cases of HZ were identified over 93,146 person-years of observation, thus corresponding to an overall incidence of 6.42 (IC95%: 5.93 - 6.95) HZ cases per 1,000 person-years. The incidence of HZ increased with age and was higher in female than in male. In total, 22.7%, 12.7%, and 2.4% of HZ cases suffered PHN at 1 and 3 mo and 1 y from the onset of acute episode. The proportions of these complications significantly increased with age, with the peak occurring in people aged ≥ 85 y. Four per cent of patients suffered ophthalmic zoster. The study provided an update of the epidemiological burden of HZ and PHN in Italy, confirming the relevant burden of the disease in the elderly population. The study was funded by the Italian Ministry of Health, Center for Disease Prevention and Control (CCM) in 2013.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Sciences , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Cristiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Alicino
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Sciences , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Trucchi
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Sciences , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Paganino
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Sciences , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Barberis
authors.affiliation: b Department of Health Sciences , University of Florence , Florence , Italy.
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Boccalini
authors.affiliation: c Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences , University of Foggia , Foggia , Italy.
authors.forename: Domenico
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Martinelli
authors.affiliation: d Regional Center for Disease Prevention and Control , Veneto Region , Italy.
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Pellizzari
authors.affiliation: b Department of Health Sciences , University of Florence , Florence , Italy.
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bechini
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Sciences , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Andrea
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Orsi
authors.affiliation: b Department of Health Sciences , University of Florence , Florence , Italy.
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Bonanni
authors.affiliation: c Department of Medical and Surgical Sciences , University of Foggia , Foggia , Italy.
authors.forename: Rosa
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Prato
authors.affiliation: e Ministry of Health , Rome , Italy.
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Iannazzo
authors.affiliation: a Department of Health Sciences , University of Genoa , Genoa , Italy.
authors.forename: Giancarlo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Icardi
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D051474:Neuralgia, Postherpetic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012737:Sex Factors
keywords: Italy; epidemiology; herpes zoster; incidence; post-herpetic neuralgia