Association of cigarette smoking with a past history and incidence of herpes zoster in the general Japanese population: the SHEZ Study.

Few studies have examined the impact of cigarette smoking on the risk for herpes zoster. The Shozu Herpes Zoster (SHEZ) Study is a community-based prospective cohort study over 3 years in Japan aiming to clarify the incidence and predictive and immunological factors for herpes zoster. We investigated the associations of smoking status with past history and incidence of herpes zoster. A total of 12 351 participants provided valid information on smoking status and past history of herpes zoster at baseline survey. Smoking status was classified into three categories (current, former, never smoker), and if currently smoking, the number of cigarettes consumed per day was recorded. The participants were under the active surveillance for first-ever incident herpes zoster for 3 years. We used a logistic regression model for the cross-sectional study on the association between smoking status and past history of herpes zoster, and a Cox proportional hazards regression model for the cohort study on the association with risk of incidence. The multivariable adjusted odd ratios (95% CI) of past history of herpes zoster for current vs. never smokers were 0.67 (0.54-0.80) for total subjects, 0.72 (0.56-0.93) for men and 0.65 (0.44-0.96) for women. The multivariable adjusted hazard ratios (95% CI) of incident herpes zoster for current vs. never smokers were 0.52 (0.33-0.81) for total subjects, 0.49 (0.29-0.83) for men and 0.52 (0.19-1.39) for women. Smoking status was inversely associated with the prevalence and incidence of herpes zoster in the general population of men and women aged >= 50 years.