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Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) vasculopathy is a serious complication of herpes zoster that can lead to stroke. Infarction is usually ischemic, sometimes hemorrhagic. Subarachnoid or cerebral hemorrhage, aneurysm, and dissection may also follow a herpes zoster attack. To determine the incidence of stroke after a diagnosis of herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO), researchers retrospectively analyzed data collected from the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database on patients with HZO, excluding those with systemic lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, HIV disease, malignancy, or prior stroke or who had recently used immunosuppressants.
Of 658 patients with HZO, 8.1% developed a stroke during 1 year of follow-up, compared with 1…