Association of COVID-19 vaccination with herpes zoster: a systematic review and meta-analysis

COVID-19, post-acute COVID-19 syndrome (PACS, “long COVID”) and post-COVID-19 vaccination syndrome (PCVS, “post-COVIDvac-syndrome”): Similarities and differences

“…For example, transverse myelitis has been documented due to COVID-19 [180] , [181] , [182] , [183] , [184] , [185] , [186] and COVID-19 vaccination [187] , [188] , [189] , [190] , [191] , [192] , [193] , [194] . In addition, VZV and herpes simplex virus, cytomegalovirus and Epstein-Barr virus reactivation was found to be possibly occurring due to COVID-19 [11] , [12] , [195] , [196] , [197] , [198] , [199] , [200] , [201] , [202] , [203] , [204] and COVID-19 vaccination [205] , [206] , [207] , [208] , [209] , [210] , [211] , [212] , [213] . The reactivation of chronic infection seems to be also associated with PACS.…”

Herpes zoster after COVID-19 vaccination, aspect of pain medicine: a retrospective, single-center study

“…The association between COVID-19 vaccination and HZ remains controversial. A meta-analysis by Chu et al [ 30 ] reported that there was no evidence that COVID-19 vaccination increased the incidence of HZ (risk ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.91–1.24). Patil et al [ 28 ] also reported that there was no difference in the frequency of HZ before and 3 months after vaccination.…”

Herpes Zoster Reactivation After COVID-19 Vaccine with Focus on Postherpetic Neuralgia Prevention: A Case Series

“…A potential mechanism proposed for this phenomenon is the alteration of the host’s response to the VZV due to vaccination, particularly involving CD+8 and CD+4 T cell immunity ( 9 ). However, a recent systematic review and meta-analysis by Chu et al failed to establish a clear association between COVID-19 vaccination, an increased incidence of HZ compared to placebo, or differences between various vaccine types ( 10 ). These results conflict with the evidence presented in the real-world study by Hertel et al ( 1 ), highlighting the need for further data analysis and interpretation.…”

“…Postherpetic neuralgia is undoubtedly a severe complication characterized by intense neuropathic pain that is resistant to common analgesics. Common features of PHN include mechanical allodynia (pain without a painful stimulus) and thermal hyperalgesia, both related to neuroplasticity ( 10 ). The treatment of HZ involves multimodal therapy, including nucleoside analog compounds that inhibit the DNA polymerase of the virus ( 2 ).…”