FRIDAY, Aug. 16, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Herpes zoster (HZ) is associated with an increased long-term risk for subjective cognitive decline (SCD), according to a study published online Aug. 14 in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy.
Tian-Shin Yeh, M.D., Ph.D., from Taipei Medical University in Taiwan, and colleagues prospectively examined the association between HZ and subsequent SCD using data from 149,327 participants from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), NHSII, and Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). The multivariable-adjusted relative risk (MVRR) of a 3-unit increment in the SCD score was estimated according to years since HZ compared to participants with no history of HZ.
The researchers found that the MVRR of a 3-unit increment in the SCD score was significantly and independently higher for individuals with a history of HZ versus those with no history of HZ, but the association varied with time since HZ. HZ was associated with a higher long-term risk for SCD in the NHS; the MVRR was 1.14 for a 3-unit increment in the SCD score for ≥13 years since HZ compared with no history of HZ. In NHSII, HZ was associated with a higher risk for SCD in the short and long term (MVRRs, 1.34 for one to four years and 1.20 for ≥13 years since HZ). An elevated risk for SCD was suggested across all time points in the HPFS. There was a suggestion that the association differed by APOE ε4 carrier status, but results were not consistent for men and women.
"The magnitude of the elevated long-term risk of SCD may potentially be reduced by HZ vaccination, but further study is needed," the authors write.
Several authors disclosed ties to pharmaceutical companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, which funded the study.
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