Incident herpes zoster in patients with atrial fibrillation was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality (HR 0.56; p<0.0001) compared to those without type 2 diabetes and without HZ.
Cohort (n=48,433)
Yes
Does incident herpes zoster and type 2 diabetes mellitus affect mortality risk in patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation?
In patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation, incident herpes zoster is paradoxically associated with a lower risk of mortality, even among those with type 2 diabetes.
Effect estimate: HR 0.56
p-value: p=<.0001
Objectives Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), which is connected to a 34% increased likelihood of atrial fibrillation (AF), along with herpes zoster (HZ), triggered by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, are common diseases associated with AF. This study was to investigate the association between type 2 DM with incident HZ and the risk of mortality in patients with AF. Methods A 3-years retrospective cohort study using Taiwan’s National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD), including 48,433 patients with newly diagnosed atrial fibrillation (AF) between 2016 and 2018, of whom 4354 had type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and 44,079 did not. Results It was observed that patients with type 2 DM alone had a higher risk of mortality (HR 1.15; p = .0013), whereas patients with HZ alone had a lower risk of mortality (HR 0.56; p < .0001), in comparison to the reference group of patients without type 2 DM and without HZ. Our results also revealed a significantly lower risk of mortality in patients with AF who were using antiplatelet agents or statins, particularly among those with type 2 DM experiencing incident HZ ( P interaction = .0348 and .0258, respectively). Conclusion AF with an incidence of HZ was associated with a lower risk of mortality, even in patients with type 2 DM. The mechanism by which an HZ diagnosis reduces AF-related mortality remains unclear.
Mayadilanuari et al. (Fri,) conducted a cohort in Atrial fibrillation (n=48,433). Incident herpes zoster and type 2 diabetes mellitus vs. Patients without type 2 diabetes mellitus and without herpes zoster was evaluated on Mortality (HR 0.56, p=<.0001). Incident herpes zoster in patients with atrial fibrillation was associated with a significantly lower risk of mortality (HR 0.56; p<0.0001) compared to those without type 2 diabetes and without HZ.