Low vitamin D3 levels may be associated with herpes zoster reactivation

Introduction:
Vitamin D affects the secretion of antimicrobial peptides associated with toll-like receptor (TLR), which have antiviral effects.

Objective:
It has been suggested that vitamin D may affect the susceptibility of the host to varicella zoster virus (VZV) infection and the clinical course of herpes zoster.

Material and methods:
In this study, 101 patients who were diagnosed with herpes zoster at the dermatology outpatient clinic and had a vitamin D result at the time of diagnosis and a control group of 100 healthy people were included. Results were analyzed statistically.

Results:
The 25-OH vitamin D levels of the patients ranged from 2.37 to 32.98 µg/l and the mean value was 14.25 ±7.20 µg/l. In the control group, 25-OH vitamin D levels ranged between 10.3 and 44.25 µg/l, and the mean value was 24.9 ±6.24 µg/l. 25-OH vitamin D levels in the patient group were significantly lower than the levels in the control group (p < 0.001).

Conclusions:
This study revealed that 25-OH vitamin D levels were significantly lower in patients with herpes zoster compared to the control group. 25-OH vitamin D deficiency may increase the risk of VZV reactivation and vitamin D supplementation may alleviate the course of the disease in vitamin D-deficient patients with herpes zoster.