Statins can increase the risk of herpes zoster infection in Asia
- 12 April 2015
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in European Journal of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases
- Vol. 34 (7), 1451-1458
- https://doi.org/10.1007/s10096-015-2372-3
Abstract
This study evaluated whether statin therapy increases the risk of herpes zoster (HZ) infection in Asia. This retrospective cohort study used the Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID2000). From the LHID2000, patients aged 20 years were divided into two cohorts according to their statin use and were matched at a 1:1 ratio according to propensity scores, which were calculated using a logistic regression for estimating the probability of treatment assignment. The primary outcome was HZ infection. All patients were followed from the index date until the date of HZ infection, withdrawal from the insurance system, or the end of 2011. The study included 53,069 patients receiving statin therapy as a statin cohort and 53,069 patients without statin therapy as a nonstatin cohort. The mean follow-up durations for the statin cohort and nonstatin cohort were 4.89 [standard deviation (SD) = 2.86] years and 4.75 (SD = 2.90) years, respectively. The patients in the statin cohort had a 21 % higher risk of contracting HZ infection than the patients in the nonstatin cohort [95 % confidence interval (CI) = 1.13–1.29]. The incidence of HZ infection increased with the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) score in both cohorts. A high mean defined daily dose of the six types of statins considered in this study was associated with a significantly increased risk of HZ infection. Statin therapy can increase HZ infection in Asia. More benefit–risk evaluations for statin use are necessary in Asia.Keywords
This publication has 19 references indexed in Scilit:
- Lipid modification and cardiovascular risk assessment for the primary and secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease: summary of updated NICE guidanceBMJ, 2014
- The Anglo-Scandinavian Cardiac Outcomes Trial: 11-year mortality follow-up of the lipid-lowering arm in the UKEuropean Heart Journal, 2011
- The Pleiotropic Effects of the Hydroxy-Methyl-Glutaryl-CoA Reductase Inhibitors in Cardiovascular DiseaseCardiology in Review, 2010
- Statins in community acquired pneumonia: Evidence from experimental and clinical studiesRespiratory Medicine, 2010
- Diabetes as a Risk Factor for Herpes Zoster Infection: Results of a Population-Based Study in IsraelInfection, 2008
- Statins lower the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by limiting lipid raft endocytosis and decreasing the neuronal spread of Herpes simplex virus type 1Medical Hypotheses, 2005
- Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Statins: Clinical Evidence and Basic MechanismsNature Reviews Drug Discovery, 2005
- Hydroxymethyl-Glutaryl Coenzyme A Reductase Inhibition Limits Cytomegalovirus Infection in Human Endothelial CellsCirculation, 2004
- Pleiotropic Effects of Statins: Lipid Reduction and BeyondJournal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, 2002
- Altered Cholesterol Trafficking in Herpesvirus-infected Arterial CellsPublished by Elsevier BV ,1995