Relationship Between Serum Vitamin D Levels and Postherpetic Neuralgia.

Association Between Serum Vitamin D and Postherpetic Neuralgia, A Prospective Observation Study.

1. The correlations of serum vitamin D level, serum calcium level and osteoporosis degree with disease severity, treatment response, incidence of Post-Herpes zoster(PHN) and disease prognosis in Herpes zoster(HZ) patients were studied.
2. To investigate the role of inflammation-related factors and immune-related factors in the occurrence and development of HZ mediated by low vitamin D level.

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Postherpetic Neuralgia

Detailed Description

Herpes zoster is a neuropathic disease which induce by the varicella-herpes virus reactivation.and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) is the most common complication. Currently,the mechanism of herpes zoster still unclearly even though there had much study about it .Vitamin D is an essential vitamin for human body, which has the function of maintaining calcium and phosphorus homeostasis and immune regulation. Vitamin D is a natural antiviral substance, and vitamin D deficiency can affect the body's antiviral ability, thereby promoting varicella-zoster virus(VZV) reactivation, and may promote the development of PHN through continuous neuroinflammation. Therefore, vitamin D level may be related to the occurrence and progression of HZ. this study intends to use an observational cohort study design to investigate the correlation of serum vitamin D level and osteoporosis degree with the severity of the herpes zoster disease, Although we plan to further explore the role of inflammatory state in this process.

• Study Type: Observational
• Enrollment (Estimated): 144

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• China
  • Hubei
    • Wuhan, Hubei, China, 430030
      • Tongji Hospital

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

• Sampling Method: Probability Sample

Study Population

Patients with herpes zoster who were hospitalized in the Department of Pain Medicine, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology from October 2023 to October 2025 were selected.

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Age ≥18 years.
• The patient was diagnosed with herpetic neuralgia and the course of disease was ≤3 months.
• Can cooperate with the completion of inquiry and scale evaluation.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Severe spinal disease (fracture, malignancy, acute or chronic infection) confirmed by previous spinal surgery or imaging.
• Previous history of head trauma.
• Have autoimmune diseases (systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, leucothrombocytopenia).
• Suffering from mental disorders, intellectual disability, epilepsy and other diseases.
• A history of substance abuse, drug abuse or alcohol abuse.
• Pregnant or breastfeeding women.
• And recent participation in other clinical studies.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Number of groups / cohorts

1

Cohorts and Interventions

Group / Cohort
Herpes zoster patients; The patient was diagnosed with herpetic neuralgia and the course of disease was ≤3 months;

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D levels	Vitamin D deficiency: < 20 nmol/L. Vitamin D deficiency: 20-30 nmol/L. Normal vitamin D: > 30 nmol/L.	herpetic neuralgia <3 month

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
C-reactive protein	An according to early infection stricture in serum.When CRP>20mg/l is considered abnormally level .	Day 2 in the hospital
Lymphocytes	Lymphocytes is considered an label of virus infection when it outlier.	Day 2 in the hospital
Red blood cell distribution width,RDM(fl)	It is a reflects the inhomogeneity of red cell size.	Day 2 in the hospital
Red blood cell count,RBC	One of main recording to diagnosis of anemia . nomal mal (4-5.5)×10-12/L. nomal femal (3.5-5.0)×10-12/L.	Day 2 in the hospital
Mean red cell volum,MVC	It is a label of red cell size.normal range from 80 to 100fl.	Day 2 in the hospital
Creatinine	It is a metabolite of muscle and there are have many reasons induce creatinine rise,such as chronic or acute kidney damage,Medicine side effect.normal range:53-106umol/l.	Day 2 in the hospital
Albumin	It is a protein that is found in many animal tissues and serum.The normal range 35-50g/L.	Day 2 in the hospital
Alkaline phosphatase	Alkaline phosphatase (ALP or AKP) is an enzyme that is widely distributed in human liver, bone, intestine, kidney, placenta and other tissues and is excreted from the liver to the bile.normal male: 45~125U/L；normal female:20~49岁35~100U/L	Day 2 in the hospital
Uric acid	Uric acid is the end product of purine metabolism. It is a trioxa purine, and its alcohol form is weakly acidic.normal male:150～416μmol/L，normal female:89～357μmolL	Day 2 in the hospital
Blood glucose	The production and utilization of blood sugar in normal people are in a state of dynamic balance, maintaining a relatively stable level, which is because the source and route of blood sugar are roughly the same result.Fasting blood-glucose(FBG):4.4~6.1mmol/L。	Day 2 in the hospital
diastolic blood pressure,	An indicator in blood pressure measurement that indicates the pressure of the heart's arterial blood against the vessel walls during diastole. It is usually measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).	Day 2 in the hospital
systolic blood pressure	A type of blood pressure that refers to the pressure of blood against the artery walls when the heart contracts. It is often used as a measure of cardiovascular health(mmHg).	Day 2 in the hospital
total cholesterol	The sum of all cholesterol in the blood, including LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol. High levels of total cholesterol may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.normal range：<5.18mmol/L（<200mg/dl）	Day 2 in the hospital
triglycerides	Triglyceride (TG) is a constituent of lipids, which is formed by glycerol and three fatty acids. normal range<1.70mmol/L.	Day 2 in the hospital
serum Ca2+ level	Ionic calcium refers to the concentration of calcium ions in the blood, also known as serum calcium. Normal levels of ionic calcium maintain a stable range in the blood, generally 2.1-2.6 mmol/L(or 8.5-10.5 mg/dL).	Day 2 in the hospital
Cellular immune indexes C3	Complement C3 can promote phagocytic cells to move to promote phagocytosis, promote B cell proliferation, and have a solubilization effect on soluble immune complex.	Day 2 in the hospital
Cellular immune indexes C4	Complement C4 is an important component of the classical activation pathway of complement, which is divided into C4a and C4b. The release of C4a can induce mast cells to release histamine, increase the permeability of blood vessels and cause local exudative inflammation. C4b mainly plays a role in mediating the complement cascade, promoting phagocytosis, participating in preventing the deposition of immune complexes, and neutralizing viruses.	Day 2 in the hospital
interleukin(IL)-10	Interleukin-10 is a multi-cellular, multifunctional cytokine that regulates cell growth and differentiation, participates in inflammatory and immune responses, and is a recognized inflammatory and immunosuppressive factor.	Day 2 in the hospital
interleukinIL-6	The target cells of IL-6 action are many, including macrophages, hepatocytes, quiescent T cells, activated B cells and plasma cells.	Day 2 in the hospital
interleukinIL-8	Interleukin-8, or IL-8 for short, is a cytokine in the family of chemokines. Its role in participating in and regulating the physiological and pathological processes of human reproduction has been confirmed, and one of its mechanisms is to bind to its specific receptors.	Day 2 in the hospital
tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-a	TNF-α, also known as cachexin and TNFSF1A, is an adipokine involved in systemic inflammation and is one of the cytokines that stimulate the acute phase response. TNF-α transmits information to the nucleus through specific receptors on the cell membrane, thus producing complex biological activities such as promoting cell proliferation and differentiation, immune regulation, inflammation mediation, and anti-tumor.	Day 2 in the hospital
Bone mineral density T value	Bone mineral density T value,present the bone density to predict osteoporosis.	Day 2 in the hospital
magnetic resonance imaging	Results of MRI examination,exclude tumor or infection	Day 2 in the hospital
cluster of differentiation 4(CD4)+	CD4 cells, refers to the surface of the CD4+T molecule T lymphocytes, is an important immune cell in the human immune system, because the HIV attack object is CD4+T cells, so its detection results on the AIDS treatment effect and the judgment of the patient's immune function has an important role.	Day 2 in the hospital
cluster of differentiation 8(CD8)+	CD8+T cells generally refer to cytotoxic T lymphocytes. Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL), a subdivision of white blood cells, are specific T cells that secrete various cytokines to participate in immune function.	Day 2 in the hospital
numeric rating scale(NRS)	The NRS pain Score is an exponential scale that uses 0 to 10 to represent different levels of pain, 0 being painless and 10 being severe, and asks the patient how bad the pain is, or to circle a number that best represents their pain.	Day 2 in the hospital
numeric rating scale(NRS)	The NRS pain Score is an exponential scale that uses 0 to 10 to represent different levels of pain, 0 being painless and 10 being severe, and asks the patient how bad the pain is, or to circle a number that best represents their pain.	After the therapy in hospital
numeric rating scale(NRS)	The NRS pain Score is an exponential scale that uses 0 to 10 to represent different levels of pain, 0 being painless and 10 being severe, and asks the patient how bad the pain is, or to circle a number that best represents their pain.	After the therapy 1 month
numeric rating scale(NRS)	The NRS pain Score is an exponential scale that uses 0 to 10 to represent different levels of pain, 0 being painless and 10 being severe, and asks the patient how bad the pain is, or to circle a number that best represents their pain.	After the therapy 2 month
numeric rating scale(NRS)	The NRS pain Score is an exponential scale that uses 0 to 10 to represent different levels of pain, 0 being painless and 10 being severe, and asks the patient how bad the pain is, or to circle a number that best represents their pain.	After the therapy 3 month
DN4	A table of pain assesment that mainly about neuropathic pain.	Day 2 in the hospital
DN4	A table of pain assesment that mainly about neuropathic pain.	After therapy in hospital
DN4	A table of pain assesment that mainly about neuropathic pain.	After therapy 1 month
DN4	A table of pain assesment that mainly about neuropathic pain.	After therapy 2 month
DN4	A table of pain assesment that mainly about neuropathic pain.	After therapy 3 month

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Feng Gao

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): December 1, 2023
• Primary Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): December 31, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 25, 2023
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 22, 2024
• First Posted (Actual): January 30, 2024

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): January 30, 2024
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: January 22, 2024
• Last Verified: January 1, 2024

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Herpes zoster,post-herpes zoster,Vitamin D,
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Nervous System Diseases; Pain; Neurologic Manifestations; Neuromuscular Diseases; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases; Neuralgia; Neuralgia, Postherpetic
• Other Study ID Numbers: TJ-IRB20231251

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: UNDECIDED

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No