Black children are less likely than white or Asian children to develop shingles (herpes zoster) after receiving the varicella vaccine to prevent chickenpox, reports a study in the March issue of The Pediatric Infectious Disease Journal. The journal is published by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, a part of Wolters Kluwer Health, a leading provider of information and business intelligence for students, professionals, and institutions in medicine, nursing, allied health, and pharmacy.
The results are consistent with previous studies showing lower rates of herpes zoster in black versus white adults. "It is possible that genetic variation may explain some portion of varicella-zoster virus reactivation," according to the new study, led by Dr. Hung Fu Tseng of Kaiser Permanente, Pasadena, Calif.
White and Asian Children at Higher Risk of Herpes Zoster
Using records from a large Kaiser Permanente health plan, Dr. Tseng and colleagues identified 122 children, aged 12 years or younger, who developed herpes zoster after receiving chickenpox (varicella) vaccine. Sometimes called shingles, herpes zoster is a painful, blistering rash that occurs when the varicella zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox, becomes reactivated in the body.
Herpes zoster is much more common in adults than children, particularly children who have received the varicella vaccine. However, like natural VZV, the virus used in the varicella vaccine can become reactivated, causing shingles to occur later.
The 122 children with herpes zoster were matched for race, age, and sex to a group of vaccinated children who did not develop herpes zoster. Possible risk factors were analyzed.
The results suggested that black children were at significantly lower risk of developing herpes zoster. With adjustment for other factors, including time since varicella vaccination, herpes zoster risk was 60 percent lower in black children compared to white children and 70 percent lower compared to Asian children.