Stroke Risk in Shingles of the Eye


Scientists believe that a virus that stems from the same one as chickenpox, ocular shingles, could in fact be a key indicator of stroke risks for up to a year after the person has contracted the virus. The study worryingly found that those who suffer ocular shingles are in fact four times more likely to have a stroke than those who do not have the virus.

Shingles itself normally occurs in people over the age of 50 and in people with a weakened immune system, e.g. H.I.V sufferers and it stems from a dormant case of chickenpox that the sufferer will have had previously. The virus that causes chickenpox is reactivated in the case of shingles and leads to a burning, itchy sensation on the skin. However, in around 10-20% of shingles cases the sufferer will also develop what is known as ocular shingles. In these cases the skin around the eye and the eye itself become infected. Thus, the study as published in the American Academy of Neurology reveals that those unlucky 10-20% of people who further develop ocular shingles are in fact at a risk of having a stroke. The study examined 658 people with ocular shingles and 1,974 people without and found that within the 658 people 8% of them had a stroke within the time the study was carried out, with just 2% of the shingle-free people having strokes. The study also reveals that no other factors played a role in the risk, e.g. gender, age, medications and so on.

Despite the ominous news for anyone who has or might contract ocular shingles, there are also reduced risks associated with the virus. Whilst patients who contract the virus were at an increased risk of having an ischemic stroke (e.g. one caused by a blood clot) they were also found to be at a decreased risk of having hemorrhagic stroke (e.g. one caused by bleeding with the brain). Additionally, researchers were able to draw the conclusion that the drugs used to treat shingles played no role in this increased risk. Moreover, because doctors have identified this potential increased risk, they will be more alert and able to monitor patients. As lead researcher Dr Jau-Der Ho suggests, the survey results show that shingles may be a valuable marker for increased stroke risks.

4th March 2010

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