Health
Shingles' impact
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Jan. 14, 2008
A new study has found that shingles may affect one in every 278 U.S. adults each year.
In addition, the researchers determined, in the study of 1,669 patients with shingles, that more than 92% did not have weakened immune systems, a condition that had been thought to lead to a greater likelihood of contracting the disease.
Their findings, published in the November 2007 Mayo Clinic Proceedings, could influence physicians' decisions on whether to recommend the vaccine. "The best way to make a decision about who we should vaccinate is by gaining a better understanding about the true impact of this virus," said Barbara Yawn, MD, director of research at Olmsted Medical Center in Rochester, Minn.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2008/01/14/hlbf0114.htm.
