Active — Not RecruitingNot Applicable

Obesity and Obesity-Related Factors and Risk of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) and Postherpetic Neuralgia

200,000 participantsStarted 1976-06

Plain-language summary

The investigators' objectives are to examine the longitudinal association of obesity and obesity-related factors and risk of incident herpes zoster (HZ), also known as shingles, and the longitudinal association of obesity and obesity-related factors and risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) among those with HZ. The investigators propose to examine more refined assessments of adiposity, leveraging the resources of several large-scale ongoing cohort studies of women and men with decades of follow-up and rich health-related data, including multiple validated anthropomorphic measures, medical history, dietary intake, and lifestyle factors. The investigators will also examine existing data on plasma adipokines, cytokines, and plasma metabolomics. The investigators will use the Nurses' Health Study (NHS I), Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) (total N\>200,000) to prospectively investigate whether obesity and obesity-related factors influence the risk of developing HZ. The investigators have already identified \>30,000 cases of incident HZ among the 3 cohorts (reported with high validity) and information on HZ continues to be collected. In addition, the investigators obtained detailed information on HZ course, complications (including PHN), treatment and other related factors on a Zoster Supplemental Questionnaire (ZSQ) administered to those participants in the NHS I and II who reported "shingles" on the main questionnaires (n=10,123 to date). The investigators will also administer the ZSQ to newly identified HZ cases identified on the 2023 NHS I and NHS II biennial questionnaires. No previous study has investigated the longitudinal relation between adiposity and risk of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). This study could provide important new insight into how obesity and obesity-related factors influence the risk of HZ, and the risk of developing PHN among individuals with HZ, and how alterations in circulating metabolites and metabolic pathways, including those that are obesity-related, are associated with risk of developing HZ and PHN.

Who can participate

Age range35 Years

SexALL

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Inclusion Criteria: * Participant in the NHS I, NHS II or HPFS cohort studies (n \~290,000) * Provided information on weight and height at least one time * Responded to at least one biennial questionnaire that included questions about HZ * For the analyses examining obesity and risk of PHN, only participants in NHS I and NHS II who completed the ZSQ will be included Exclusion Criteria: * Reported date of HZ occurred before the study baseline * Date of HZ cannot be determined * Exposure information not available for the specific analysis

What they're measuring

Incident herpes zoster assessed by questionnaire

Timeframe: 2000-2024

Trial details

NCT IDNCT06638177

SponsorBrigham and Women's Hospital

Sponsor typeOTHER

Study typeOBSERVATIONAL

Primary completion2027-12

View on ClinicalTrials.gov More Herpes Zoster (HZ) trials