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Herpes zoster incidence in Germany - an indirect validation study for self-reported disease data from pretest studies of the population-based German National Cohort.

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND:Until now, herpes zoster (HZ)-related disease burden in Germany has been estimated based on health insurance data and clinical findings. However, the validity of self-reported HZ is unclear. This study investigated the validity of self-reported herpes zoster (HZ) and its complication postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) using data from the pretest studies of the German National Cohort (GNC) in comparison with estimates based on health insurance data. METHODS:Data of 4751 participants aged between 20 and 69?years from two pretest studies of the GNC carried out in 2011 and 2012 were used. Based on self-reports of physician-diagnosed HZ and PHN, age- and sex-specific HZ incidence rates and PHN proportions were estimated. For comparison, estimates based on statutory health insurance data from the German population were considered. RESULTS:Eleven percent (95%-CI, 10.4 to 12.3, n?=?539) of the participants reported at least one HZ episode in their lifetime. Our estimated age-specific HZ incidence rates were lower than previous estimates based on statutory health insurance data. The PHN proportion in participants older than 50?years was 5.9% (1.9 to 13.9%), which was in line with estimates based on health insurance data. CONCLUSION:As age- and sex-specific patterns were comparable with that in health insurance data, self-reported diagnosis of HZ seems to be a valid instrument for overall disease trends. Possible reasons for observed differences in incidence rates are recall bias in self-reported data or overestimation in health insurance data.

SUBMITTER: Caputo M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6354372 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Herpes zoster incidence in Germany - an indirect validation study for self-reported disease data from pretest studies of the population-based German National Cohort.

Caputo Mahrrouz M Horn Johannes J Karch André A Akmatov Manas K MK Becher Heiko H Braun Bettina B Brenner Hermann H Castell Stefanie S Fischer Beate B Giani Guido G Günther Kathrin K Hoffmann Barbara B Jöckel Karl-Heinz KH Keil Thomas T Klüppelholz Birgit B Krist Lilian L Leitzmann Michael F MF Lieb Wolfgang W Linseisen Jakob J Meisinger Christa C Moebus Susanne S Obi Nadia N Pischon Tobias T Schipf Sabine S Schmidt Börge B Sievers Claudia C Steinbrecher Astrid A Völzke Henry H Mikolajczyk Rafael R

BMC infectious diseases 20190130 1

<h4>Background</h4>Until now, herpes zoster (HZ)-related disease burden in Germany has been estimated based on health insurance data and clinical findings. However, the validity of self-reported HZ is unclear. This study investigated the validity of self-reported herpes zoster (HZ) and its complication postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) using data from the pretest studies of the German National Cohort (GNC) in comparison with estimates based on health insurance data.<h4>Methods</h4>Data of 4751 partic ...[more]

PMID: 30700258

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Project description:IntroductionMany studies have been conducted worldwide to estimate herpes zoster (HZ) incidence rates. We synthesized studies of HZ incidence rates in the general population using meta-analysis models.MethodsA random effects meta-analysis was conducted to estimate HZ incidence from a published worldwide systematic literature review (SLR) including only individuals aged 50 years and older. Meta-regression was used to explore whether variability in incidence rates could be explained by a combination of study-specific characteristics including age, gender, continent and year of study data. The impact of adding additional covariates-case detection method (general practitioner surveillance, healthcare database, sentinel network, etc.), case definition (medical record-based, self-reported), study design (retrospective passive surveillance, retrospective active surveillance, etc.), incidence type (cumulative incidence/1000 persons or incidence rate/1000 person-years), patient type (outpatients or in- and out-patients) and latitude to the base model-was also assessed.ResultsSixty-one records from 59 studies were included in the analysis: 25, 20, 11 and 5 from Europe, North America, Asia and Oceania, respectively. There was variation in study methodology and outcomes. Heterogeneity of incidence rates was greatest among studies conducted in Asia. Meta-analysis showed that incidence increased with age, was lower in males compared to females, tended to be lower in Europe and North America compared to Asia and Oceania and increased with year of study data. The data-driven meta-regression model included continent, year of study data, gender, age and an age × gender interaction term. The difference in incidence between males and females was greater in younger ages (e.g., 50-59) compared to older age groups (e.g., 80+). None of the additional covariates contributed significantly to the model.ConclusionIncidence rates were shown to vary by age, gender, continent and year of study data.

Project description:Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by a reactivation of the varicella-zoster-virus (VZV) and mainly affects individuals aged?50 years. Vaccines have been licensed or are under development that can protect against HZ and its main complication postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). In Germany, the burden of disease caused by HZ is not well known. To support the decision making process related to a potential vaccination recommendation, we estimated annual HZ disease burden in people aged?50 years in Germany by utilizing various data sources.We assessed for 2007 and 2008 HZ-outpatient incidence (number of cases per 1,000 person-years, PY) by utilizing the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (ASHIP) database, which contains nationwide routine outpatient data. For the same time period annual number of HZ-inpatients and HZ-associated deaths were identified by using the Federal Health Monitoring System (FHM). PHN-incidence and loss of quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) caused by HZ were calculated by multiplying number of identified HZ-patients with upper and lower limit estimates for proportion of HZ-cases developing PHN and HZ-related QALY, respectively.For the study period we identified an annual average of 306,511 HZ-outpatients aged 50+, resulting in a HZ-incidence of 9.6/1,000 PY. A total 14,249 HZ-associated inpatients and 66 deaths were reported in both years on average. HZ-incidence increased by age from 6.21 in people 50-54 years to 13.19 per 1,000 PY in people aged?90 years. Females were significantly more frequently affected than males in terms of outpatient HZ-incidence (11.12 vs. 7.8 per 1,000 PY), inpatient HZ-incidence (0.51 vs. 0.38 per 1,000 PY) and mortality (0.29 vs. 0.10 per 100,000 PY). PHN-incidence was estimated to range between 0.43 and 1.33 per 1,000 PY. Based on these figures, there were between 3,065 to 24,094 QALYs lost due to HZ in persons aged?50 years in Germany per annum.Our study provides important baseline estimates for HZ-related disease burden in Germany. HZ poses a considerable burden on the health care system in Germany both in terms of outpatient and inpatient services. Follow-up assessments of HZ disease burden are needed to monitor the impact of VZV-vaccinations in Germany.

Project description:BACKGROUND: Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) and mainly affects individuals aged ?50 years. The forthcoming European launch of a vaccine against HZ (Zostavax®) prompts the need for a better understanding of the epidemiology of HZ in Europe. Therefore the aim of this systematic review was to summarize the available data on HZ incidence in Europe and to describe age-specific incidence. METHODS: The Medline database of the National Library of Medicine was used to conduct a comprehensive literature search of population-based studies of HZ incidence published between 1960 and 2010 carried out in the 27 member countries of the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. The identified articles were reviewed and scored according to a reading grid including various quality criteria, and HZ incidence data were extracted and presented by country. RESULTS: The search identified 21 studies, and revealed a similar annual HZ incidence throughout Europe, varying by country from 2.0 to 4.6/1 000 person-years with no clearly observed geographic trend. Despite the fact that age groups differed from one study to another, age-specific HZ incidence rates seemed to hold steady during the review period, at around 1/1 000 children <10 years, around 2/1 000 adults aged <40 years, and around 1-4/1 000 adults aged 40-50 years. They then increased rapidly after age 50 years to around 7-8/1 000, up to 10/1 000 after 80 years of age. Our review confirms that in Europe HZ incidence increases with age, and quite drastically after 50 years of age. In all of the 21 studies included in the present review, incidence rates were higher among women than men, and this difference increased with age. This review also highlights the need to identify standardized surveillance methods to improve the comparability of data within European Union Member States and to monitor the impact of VZV immunization on the epidemiology of HZ. CONCLUSIONS: Available data in Europe have shortcomings which make an accurate assessment of HZ incidence and change over time impossible. However, data are indicative that HZ incidence is comparable, and increases with age in the same proportion across Europe.

Dataset Information

Herpes zoster incidence in Germany - an indirect validation study for self-reported disease data from pretest studies of the population-based German National Cohort.

Publications

Herpes zoster incidence in Germany - an indirect validation study for self-reported disease data from pretest studies of the population-based German National Cohort.

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