Varicella Zoster infection manifesting as shingles is not independently associated with ischemic nor hemorrhagic stroke using the large Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database

ABSTRACT Background Previous studies have shown a correlation between having had a previous infection of Varicella Zoster, and an increase in risk of stroke, even in the absence of rash. Our goal was to further evaluate this correlation using a large, publicly available inpatient database, searching for patients who have had either shingles, a stroke, or both. Method We used the National (Nationwide) Inpatient Sample (NIS) to assess for any correlation between active shingles and increased stroke risk, looking at patients who were admitted to an inpatient setting in 2016-2020. Uni- and multivariate analysis was performed adjusting for comorbid conditions Results A total of 4,115,724 patients ≥ 18 years old had a diagnosis of stroke. From them, 2.85% had a history of shingles vs 2.77% without a history of shingles (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 0.97-1.09; p = 0.31). When comparing only for hemorrhagic stroke, the percentage of patients admitted who had a history of shingles was 0.89%, versus 0.74% of patients without a history of shingles (OR, 1.20; 95% CI, 1.09-1.33; p = <0.001). However, after multivariate analysis, this difference became statistically insignificant (OR: 0.91, CI: 0.85-1,05, p =0.32) Conclusion W e found no correlation between having a history of shingles as increased risk of hemorrhagic of ischemic stroke over the five years we studied.