UNDIAGNOSED DIABETES MELLITUS IN PATIENTS WITH HERPES ZOSTER

BACKGROUND: Herpes Zoster (HZ) is reactivation of latent varicella-zoster virus that involves dermatomes. Aging and immunosupressed states are among the main risk factors. Some investigations showed that HZ is more common in diabetic patients than in normal population. AIM: To determine whether undiagnosed DM is more common in patients with HZ than in those without it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study 103 patients with HZ (cases) and 142 as control participated. They had no history of DM. Both groups were matched according to age, gender and family history of DM. Fasting plasma glucose was checked for all participants. DM was defined when the fasting plasma glucose was equal or more 126 mg/dl. RESULTS: 35.9% of patients with HZ and 19.7% of the control group had DM. There was significant association between HZ and undiagnosed DM (OR = 2.28, 95% CI: 1.28–4.06). CONCLUSION: Our findings indicate that the prevalence of undiagnosed DM is more common in HZ patients and supports the policy to investigate patients with HZ for the presence of undiagnosed DM.