GlaxoSmithKline announces results from observational study of COVID-19

According to a new study conducted by GSK, people age 50 or older in the US who have had COVID-19 may be at greater risk of developing shingles - a painful rash - compared to those who haven't been diagnosed with COVID-19. This research was published in the Infectious Diseases Society of America's Open Forum Infectious Diseases. Key findings include: In this retrospective cohort study, people aged 50 or older who contracted COVID-19 were 15% more likely to develop shingles compared to controls who were never diagnosed with COVID-19. Risk of shingles was elevated for up to six months after a COVID-19 diagnosis. Those hospitalized for COVID-19 were 21% more likely to develop shingles. The study observed adults aged 50 years and older using claims data from two large US databases and matched persons with and without COVID-19 using various known shingles risk factors. Anyone vaccinated against either shingles or COVID-19 was excluded from the cohorts. Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus - the same virus that causes chickenpox - which lays dormant in the body after the initial infection. Nearly all adults over age 50 carry the virus that causes shingles. Natural age-related decline of the immune system can allow VZV to resurface, causing shingles. People with a suppressed or compromised immune system are also at increased risk of developing shingles. The study authors, as well as case report publications, suggest that COVID-19 could trigger shingles by disrupting immune cells, allowing VZV to reactivate. More research is needed to confirm this hypothesis. Shingles typically presents as a painful rash on one side of the face or body. Most people who get the disease experience acute pain, often described as aching or burning, which can cause significant disruptions to a person's day-to-day activities for up to several weeks.