Evidence map›Paper›PMID 25928713›Full record

ArticlePloS one2015

Increasing trends of herpes zoster in Australia.

Raina MacIntyre, Alicia Stein, Christopher Harrison, Helena Britt, Abela Mahimbo, Anthony Cunningham

Erratum issuedOpen access · goldAbstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in PloS one, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 24 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
24citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
3.7field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

24 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 52 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Review
  6. Transient Increased Risk of Shingles Post-Shingrix Vaccination: Self-Controlled Case-Series Analysis.Clinical infectious diseases : an official publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America · 2025
    Article
  7. Article
  8. Immune Dysregulation in Acute Herpes Zoster: Predictive Factors for Postherpetic Neuralgia.Medical science monitor : international medical journal of experimental and clinical research · 2025
    Article
  9. Review
  10. Lifetime risk of herpes zoster in the population of Beijing, China.Public health in practice (Oxford, England) · 2023
    Article
  11. Article
  12. Article
  13. Review
  14. Article
  15. Article
  16. Article
  17. Review
  18. Article
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  20. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Raina MacIntyreSchool of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia; National Centre for Immunisation Research (NCIRS), Sydney, Australia.
Alicia SteinbioCSL, Melbourne, Australia.
Christopher HarrisonFamily Medicine Research Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Helena BrittFamily Medicine Research Centre, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
Abela MahimboSchool of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia.
Anthony CunninghamWestmead Millennium Institute, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia.
University of Sydney · AUUNSW Sydney · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundIncreasing trends in incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) have been reported in Australia and internationally. This may reflect the impact of childhood VZV vaccination programs introduced universally in Australia in late 2005. The objective of this study was to evaluate changes in incidence of HZ and PHN in Australia over time, and associated healthcare resource utilisation.

methodsAustralian data on general practice (GP) encounters for HZ, specific antiviral prescribing data from the pharmaceutical benefits scheme, emergency department presentations from the states of NSW and Victoria and national hospitalisation data for HZ were analysed for time trends using regression models. Two time periods (2000-2006 and 2006-2013) were compared which correspond broadly with the pre- and post- universal VZV vaccination period.

resultsAll data sources showed increasing rates of HZ with age and over time. The GP database showed a significant annual increase in encounters for HZ of 2.5 per 100,000 between 1998 and 2013, and the rates of prescriptions for HZ increased by 4.2% per year between 2002 and 2012. In the 60+ population HZ incidence was estimated to increase from 11.9 to 15.4 per 1,000 persons using GP data or from 12.8 to 14.2 per 1,000 persons using prescription data (p<0.05, between the two periods). Hospitalisation data did not show the same increasing trend over time, except for the age group ≥80 years. Most emergency visits for HZ were not admitted, and showed significant increases over time. DISCUSSION: The burden of HZ in Australia is substantial, and continues to increase over time. This increase is seen both pre- and post-universal VZV vaccination in 2005, and is most prominent in the older population. The substantial burden of HZ, along with ageing of the Australian population and the importance of healthy ageing, warrants consideration of HZ vaccination for the elderly.

Indexed as

AdultAgedAged, 80 and overAge DistributionAntiviral AgentsAustraliaEmergency Service, HospitalFemaleHerpes ZosterHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedVictoriaYoung AdultAntiviral Agents

Identifiers

PMID25928713
PMCPMC4416021
OpenAlexW2024802557

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.