Psychiatric Disorders and Their Impact on Herpes Zoster Incidence: Five Years of Data from Turkiye

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Background/Objectives: This study investigates the relationship between psychiatric disorders and herpes zoster (HZ). Emergency and outpatient admissions to Kırşehir Education and Research Hospital between 2019 and 2023 were examined. Psychiatric disorders are known in the literature as one of the factors that weaken the immune system, thereby increasing the risk of infection. Methods: In our study, the past diagnoses and sociodemographic data of all individuals over the age of 18 who applied to the Kırşehir Education and Research Hospital between 2019 and 2023 were obtained from hospital system records. Patients receiving immunosuppressive treatment or those with diseases that could affect immune system function were excluded from the study. The sample was divided into two groups: those with and without psychiatric disorders diagnosed with HZ. Sociodemographic features, change of HZ frequency over the years, and differences among psychiatric diagnosis subgroups were examined between the groups. Results: Individuals with psychiatric diseases had a significantly higher frequency of HZ compared to those without psychiatric diseases (0.0040% vs. 0.0016%, p < 0.001). No significant difference was found in the frequency of HZ among different types of psychiatric disorders (p = 0.60). Additionally, no statistically significant difference was found in the median age between the groups (p = 0.11). In terms of gender distribution, it was determined that women were more frequently diagnosed with HZ compared to men. Conclusions: The frequency of HZ was found to be higher in individuals with psychiatric disorders. However, further research is needed to explore the association between specific psychiatric diagnoses and HZ frequency.