Herpes Zoster Reactivation Following COVID-19 and the Risk of Renal, Infectious, and Autoimmune Complications: A Global Propensity-Matched Cohort Study
<b>Background:</b> Herpes zoster (HZ), resulting from the reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus, has been increasingly observed in individuals following COVID-19. Given the shared immunological disturbances between the two conditions, this study aimed to investigate whether HZ fo...
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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
MDPI AG
2025-07-01
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| Series: | Biomedicines |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9059/13/7/1628 |
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| Summary: | <b>Background:</b> Herpes zoster (HZ), resulting from the reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus, has been increasingly observed in individuals following COVID-19. Given the shared immunological disturbances between the two conditions, this study aimed to investigate whether HZ following COVID-19 is associated with an elevated risk of renal, infectious, and autoimmune complications. <b>Methods:</b> This retrospective cohort study utilized data from the TriNetX global federated health network, encompassing over 9 million adults diagnosed with COVID-19 between January 2020 and January 2022. Patients who developed HZ within one year following COVID-19 diagnosis were compared to 1:1 propensity score-matched controls without HZ. Time-to-event analyses over a three-year follow-up period were conducted to estimate the risks of major adverse kidney events (MAKE; defined as acute kidney injury, dialysis dependence, or severely reduced kidney function with eGFR <30 mL/min/1.73 m<sup>2</sup>), sepsis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), using Kaplan–Meier survival curves and Cox proportional hazards models. <b>Results:</b> HZ following COVID-19 was significantly associated with increased risks of all four outcomes: MAKE (HR 1.940, 95% CI: 1.866–2.017), sepsis (HR 2.362, 95% CI: 2.250–2.479), SLE (HR 2.667, 95% CI: 2.254–3.156), and RA (HR 2.484, 95% CI: 2.267–2.730). Subgroup analyses identified older age, diabetes, impaired renal function, and elevated inflammatory markers as key risk-enhancing factors. <b>Conclusions:</b> HZ following COVID-19 may serve as a clinical indicator of systemic immune dysregulation and is independently associated with increased long-term risks of renal, infectious, and autoimmune sequelae. Enhanced monitoring of this high-risk population is warranted. |
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| ISSN: | 2227-9059 |