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Herpes zoster (shingles) is caused by the reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus. The lifetime risk for this condition is 30%, rising to 50% in individuals surviving to age 85. The most dreaded sequella — postherpetic neuralgia — develops in ≤12% of zoster patients aged ≥50. A live-virus vaccine (Zostavax) is effective in preventing or lessening the severity of zoster and postherpetic neuralgia and is approved for patients aged ≥50.
In a recent case-control study of risk factors for zoster, researchers used U.K. Clinical Practice Research Datalink records to compare 144,959 adults with zoster between 2000 and 2011 with 549,336 age-, sex-, and practice-matched controls who had no history of zoster or postherpetic neuralgia at the index…