I would not have put any money whatsoever on this outcome .
One of the rare papers where females seem to gain more benefit than males!
Int J Infect Dis. 2017 Jun; 59: 90–95.
Published online 2017 Apr 24. doi: 10.1016/j.ijid.2017.04.016
PMCID: PMC5497494
NIHMSID: NIHMS871361
PMID: 28450196
Receipt of Thyroid Hormone Deficiency Treatment and Risk of Herpes Zoster
Shao-Chung V. Hsia,a,* Lie Hong Chen,b and Hung-Fu Tsengb,*
SUMMARY
Objective
Thyroid hormone (TH) has been suggested to control the herpes virus gene expression and replication in neurons via epigenetics through its nuclear receptors. Previously, we showed that hypothyroidism patients were predisposed to herpes zoster (HZ), suggesting that the TH deficiency may be a risk factor of Varicella-Zoster Virus (VZV) reactivation. The aim of this investigation was to test the hypothesis that the TH treatment will ameliorate the complication of HZ.
Methods
The present study investigated the hypothesis by enquiring into a comprehensive medical database at Kaiser Permanente Southern California (KPSC) to verify if patients taking thyroid hormone medication would experience reduction of herpes zoster occurrence.
Results
It was shown by a Kaplan-Meier plot that hypothyroidism patients taking TH medicines had a lower risk of HZ. The fully adjusted analysis indicated that patients receiving medication for TH deficiency treatment exhibited a reduced risk of HZ (HR, 0.60; 95% CI, 0.51–0.71). This lower risk of HZ was significant in all age group except the 18–39 years of age cohort. In addition, female patients with TH treatment exhibited a lower risk than the male counterpart.
Conclusions
Together these findings supported the hypothesis that a constant level of TH would provide a layer of protection from contracting HZ. More studies are underway to evaluate the lab data for an analyses of hormonal effects on individuals.
I can think of various possible reasons for the difference in rates between males and females.
1) Women often have desperately poor iron and ferritin. In my experience iron is almost never tested. If a woman has inflammation (common in hypothyroidism, as we know) then it keeps ferritin higher. So if only ferritin is tested women are told they are fine.
2) I don't know whether hypothyroid males have problems with B12, folate, vitamin D and other nutrients to the same degree as women.
3) A man with hypothyroidism is likely to be diagnosed more quickly than a woman with the same complaint. Women are more likely to be offered anti-depressants and to be told "Well, what do you expect, you've just had a baby / you're going through the menopause / you're getting old."
Thanks for this helvella, it's interesting to me from the other way round - my thyroid dysfunction, showing with low TSH and fluctuating mid-low FT4 and FT3 hence never recognised by the NHS, has been blamed on a very bad bout of varicella zoster in my 30s. Both Dr Skinner and my current endocrinologist have made the connection independently of each other. In his book Dr Skinner also mentions the link used in a medical trial, I'll look for his quote and post it.
Dr Skinner is another of our 'old school' doctors who treated 'people' who had hypothyroidism without the need for blood tests.
He saved many lives but towards the end of his career he was brought before the BTA more than once for restoring patients health. He died suddenly and his staff were also bereaved and shocked.
They then collated all of their medical history from patients and if they get sufficient monies to publish they stated it would shake up the medical profession. This is a story of one of his patients.
Dr Skinner was absolutely wonderful wasn't he ! Lorraine did well too, to get her story published and getting as far as she did with the Scottish parliament. I also have a download of all the patient testimonials from the Manchester hearings. They were a revelation to listen to and I wish they could be revealed. I didn't know his staff were still trying to get the patients' stories published. They really would shake a few people!
Dr Skinner's quote: "It is also a fact - although a somewhat forgotten fact - that thyroid gland cells were one of the three primary cell lines which were used to cultivate varicella zoster virus in the laboratory. I remember a pleasant fellow David Shaw in the Department of Infection at the University of Birmingham, whose research interest lay in developing systems to cultivate varicella zoster virus and primary thyroid gland cultures were the chosen cell lines so to speak at the end of his research". Diagnosis and Management of Hypothyroidism
Gordon R B Skinner MD DSc FRCPath FRCOG
Dr Skinner was talking about possible viral causes of hypothyroidism in this chapter.
My thyroid hormone therapy came 10 years too late to save me. I had chicken pox very young before the vaccination age. I had to have tiny cotton gloves to stop me scratching my face I developed shingles on the optic nerve at 42 (hideous) but luckily got antivirals fairly quickly and check ups at the eye hospital. Interestingly my mother got shingles in her late 30’s and went on to get diagnosed with thyroid disease many years later. Thanks fue posting I was always suspicious they were somehow related.
Re your other point of having to take aciclivor to suppress it, I’m puzzled. Are you saying that all year round you’d be plagued with cold sores or are there other more serious symptoms?
Every so often I get a cold sore. Interestingly it seems to be only when I turn up the air con very high in the car, so mostly I get them during the warm months. I find that as soon as I get the feeling of one, before it makes an appearance, if I apply tea tree immediately and continue to do so at least once daily religiously then when it appears it’s small, crusts over quickly and gone within 5 days
Because I get them so infrequently though, I forget not to put the AC on too high and invariably end up with one
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Did anyone experience personality changes with thyroid hormone treatment?
