Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of herpes zoster in a tertiary care hospital in Brazil

Abstract

Background: There is little information on herpes zoster from hospital registries in South America. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiological and clinical aspects of herpes zoster (HZ) in hospitalized patients.’ Methods: We searched for hospital-based records during the period from March 2000 to January 2017 in a 700-bed tertiary-care hospital located in southern Brazil. The medical records of all eligible patients were reviewed, and data regarding demographics, medical history, clinical and laboratory characteristics, treatment regimens, and clinical outcomes were collected. Patients were also evaluated for mortality. Results: There were 801 records of herpes zoster according to the proposed criteria. Most patients with HZ presented a cutaneous clinical form of the disease with involvement of a single dermatome (n = 589, 73.5%). Additional clinical characteristics included postherpetic neuralgia (22.1%), ophthalmic HZ (7.6%) and meningoencephalitis (2.7%). Most patients presented immunocompromised conditions (64.9%) including HIV, administration of immunosuppressive agents, and malignant neoplasms. During this period, there were 105 (13.1%) deaths, which were mostly unrelated to HZ. Five deaths were related to HZ meningoencephalitis. Conclusion: The results of this study demonstrate a high burden of HZ disease in a Brazilian tertiary care hospital in the HZ vaccination era. Awareness of the incidence and comorbidity factors associated with HZ in Latin American countries such as Brazil contribute for adoption and implementation of strategies for immunization in this area.