Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33511645›Full record

ArticleThe British journal of dermatology2021

Perceived psychological stress and risk of herpes zoster: a nationwide population-based cohort study.

S A J Schmidt, H T Sørensen, S M Langan, M Vestergaard

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in The British journal of dermatology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 23 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
23citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
3.6field-weighted citation impact, top 6% 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

23 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 36 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  14. 'Everyone has heard of it, but no one knows what it is': a qualitative study of patient understandings and experiences of herpes zoster.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2025
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  17. An unusual presentation of Herpes zoster and associated differentials.The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association · 2024
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.

S A J SchmidtDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.ORCID 0000-0001-5527-0698
H T SørensenDepartment of Clinical Epidemiology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark.
S M LanganFaculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK.
M VestergaardResearch Unit for General Practice, Aarhus University, Aarhus, Denmark.
Aarhus University Hospital · DKAarhus University · DKLondon School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine · GB

Funding

The Edel and Wilhelm Daubenmerkls Charitable Foundation 100060The Lundbeck Foundation R248-2017-521The Program for Clinical Research Infrastructure established by the Lundbeck Foundation and the Novo Nordisk FoundationWellcome Trust 205039/Z/16/Z
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundPsychological stress may reduce cellular immunity, but its role in triggering latent infections, including herpes zoster (HZ), is controversial.

objectivesTo examine the association between perceived psychological stress and risk of HZ.

methodsIn a linked registry-based cohort study, we followed 77 310 persons aged 40 years or older who participated in the 2010 Danish National Health Survey from 1 May 2010 until HZ diagnosis, death, emigration or 1 July 2014, whichever occurred first. We computed hazard ratios (HRs) of HZ associated with Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) score (range 0-40) using Cox regression with age as the timescale, adjusted for sex, immunosuppressive and selected chronic conditions, immunosuppressive drugs, and sociodemographic, lifestyle and anthropometric factors. The PSS measures chronic stress perceived by an individual in response to various demands of daily life. We modelled the PSS score using quintiles and a restricted cubic spline function.

resultsThe unadjusted rate of HZ varied from 5·53 to 7·20 per 1000 person-years from the lowest to the highest PSS score quintile. Compared with the lowest PSS score quintile, the adjusted HR for HZ was 1·00 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·86-1·16], 1·08 (95% CI 0·92-1·26), 1·05 (95% CI 0·90-1·23) and 1·14 (95% CI 0·97-1·34) for the second to the fifth quintile, respectively. In cubic spline analyses, PSS scores < 20 were not associated with increased HR of HZ, but thereafter the HR increased linearly from 1·10 (95% CI 0·85-1·41) to 2·22 (95% CI 1·32-3·75).

conclusionsOur study indicated that high levels of psychological stress are associated with increased risk of HZ.

Indexed as

Herpes ZosterCohort StudiesHerpesvirus 3, HumanHumansIncidenceRisk FactorsStress, Psychological

Identifiers

PMID33511645
PMCPMC8360205
OpenAlexW3125712966

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Registered trials

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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.