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NCT06638177Active, not recruiting

Obesity and Obesity-Related Factors and Risk of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) and Postherpetic Neuralgia

Obesity and Obesity-Related Factors and Risk of Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Last updated 5 Oct 2026

Brief summary (registry, in English)

The investigators' objectives are to examine the longitudinal association of obesity and obesity-related factors and risk of incident herpes zoster (HZ), also known as shingles, and the longitudinal association of obesity and obesity-related factors and risk of developing post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN) among those with HZ. The investigators propose to examine more refined assessments of adiposity, leveraging the resources of several large-scale ongoing cohort studies of women and men with decades of follow-up and rich health-related data, including multiple validated anthropomorphic measures, medical history, dietary intake, and lifestyle factors. The investigators will also examine existing data on plasma adipokines, cytokines, and plasma metabolomics. The investigators will use the Nurses' Health Study (NHS I), Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II), and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) (total N\>200,000) to prospectively investigate whether obesity and obesity-related factors influence the risk of developing HZ. The investigators have already identified \>30,000 cases of incident HZ among the 3 cohorts (reported with high validity) and information on HZ continues to be collected. In addition, the investigators obtained detailed information on HZ course, complications (including PHN), treatment and other related factors on a Zoster Supplemental Questionnaire (ZSQ) administered to those participants in the NHS I and II who reported "shingles" on the main questionnaires (n=10,123 to date). The investigators will also administer the ZSQ to newly identified HZ cases identified on the 2023 NHS I and NHS II biennial questionnaires. No previous study has investigated the longitudinal relation between adiposity and risk of post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN). This study could provide important new insight into how obesity and obesity-related factors influence the risk of HZ, and the risk of developing PHN among individuals with HZ, and how alterations in circulating metabolites and metabolic pathways, including those that are obesity-related, are associated with risk of developing HZ and PHN.

Status (registry)
Active, not recruiting
Study type
Observational
Enrollment
200000 (actual)
First submitted
7 Oct 2024
Start date
Jun 1976
Primary completion date
Dec 2027
Lead sponsor
Brigham and Women's Hospital
Diseases
Obesity
NCT number
NCT06638177

What you commit to

  • Study type: Observational
  • Participants enrolled: 200000
  • From Jun 1976 to the primary completion date, Dec 2027
  • No sites listed in no country
  • Visits and tests: ask the trial team, the registry does not list them

Built from the registry fields of ClinicalTrials.gov. It describes the study, not your situation.

Who cannot take part

Copied verbatim from ClinicalTrials.gov and grouped by topic. Only the trial team decides who can take part.

Other

  • Reported date of HZ occurred before the study baseline
  • Date of HZ cannot be determined
  • Exposure information not available for the specific analysis

Who the study is looking for

  • Participant in the NHS I, NHS II or HPFS cohort studies (n \~290,000)
  • Provided information on weight and height at least one time
  • Responded to at least one biennial questionnaire that included questions about HZ
  • For the analyses examining obesity and risk of PHN, only participants in NHS I and NHS II who completed the ZSQ will be included

Age in the registry: 35 years to - · Sex: All · Accepts healthy volunteers

Full criteria on ClinicalTrials.gov

This page is information, not medical advice. Discuss any trial with your doctor.