Jody Mow Wellness shares an eye-opening health and wellness article from John Geyer at MedPage Today. Rates of stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and heart attack were significantly increased among patients experiencing shingles episodes in young adulthood or early middle age, a British epidemiological study found.
Among more than 100,000 individuals in Great Britain whose records indicated a shingles attack, the risk of stroke was nearly doubled after episodes occurring prior to age 40 relative to age-, sex-, and location-matched controls, according to Judith Breuer, MD, of University College London, and colleagues.
Risks for TIA and myocardial infarction (MI) were also significantly increased in this population, the researchers reported online in Neurology. Adjusted hazard ratios were as follows:
- Stroke: 1.74 (95% CI 1.13-2.66)
- TIA: 2.42 (95% CI 1.34-4.36)
- MI: 1.49 (95% CI 1.04-2.15)
There was little or no increased risk of these events in patients experiencing shingles attacks after age 40, the analysis indicated.
