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Historically, herpes zoster has been more common — and its manifestations more severe — in HIV-infected individuals than in the general population. But is this still true in the era of modern HIV treatment regimens?
Researchers evaluated the incidence of herpes zoster from 2002 through 2009 among more than 4000 HIV-infected patients in Baltimore. During the study period, 321 cases of herpes zoster were identified (183 incident; 138 recurrent). The annual incidence per 1000 person-years declined from a high of 13.1 in 2003 to 4.7 in 2009. Overall, 75% of case patients were on antiretroviral therapy at the time of herpes zoster onset, but this proportion was significantly lower in incident cases than recurrences. Factors associated with incide…