A
new study has drawn a connection between the virus that causes the skin rash
shingles with an increased chance of suffering from a stroke in later life.
The
connection has been made by the American Academy of Neurology. Here
researchers, from a review of medical data, connected the virus causing the
diseases of chicken pox and shingles to problems with arteritis. Medical data
indicated the virus to be found in 74 percent of the biopsies relating to the
condition giant cell arteritis; whereas it was associated with just 8 percent
of normal skin biopsies.
Shingles is caused by
the virus herpes zoster. It describes a disease characterized by a painful skin
rash with blisters. Symptoms of the condition, which affects 20-30 percent of
adults, include a burning rash, together with headache, fever, and malaise.
Giant-cell
arteritis
is an inflammatory disease of blood vessels, commonly occurring in the large
and medium arteries of the head. Symptoms include aching and soreness in and
around the temples; jaw muscle pain while eating; and vision loss. The
condition has been associated with strokes.
The
new study connects increased rates of acute cardiovascular events such as
ischemic stroke. In terms of epidemiology, it is established that many people who
have had chicken pox in their childhood can contract shingles. Most often this
is once a person reaches their 60s. It is unknown why the virus, which has
remained dormant for decades, re-activates.
For
the sample population, researchers drew on 42,954 Medicare beneficiaries in the
U.S. This group had received a herpes zoster diagnosis (the virus responsible) and
an ischemic stroke. In addition, these considered 24,237 beneficiaries who had myocardial
infarction as well as a herpes zoster diagnosis during a 5-year period.
It
was found among those diagnosed with herpes zoster, this group had a 2.4-times
higher chance of an ischemic stroke occurring and a 1.7 times higher chance of myocardial
infarction occurring during the first week after the herpes zoster virus causes
symptoms of shingles. The risk then decreased over the 6 months following the
herpes zoster diagnosis.
Posted by Dr. Tim Sandle
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