Table 1.
Age‐Standardized Characteristics of Participants in the NHS, NHS II, and HPFS at Midpoint of Follow‐Up
| Time since HZ, y | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Never HZ | 1–4 | 5–8 | 9–12 | ||
| Characteristic | (n=48 908) | (n=2455) | (n=2068) | (n=1302) | |
| NHS (2008) | |||||
| Age, y | 72.4 (6.7) | 73.0 (6.6) | 73.9 (6.9) | 73.9 (7.0) | |
| Race, White, % | 94.1 | 95.1 | 95.1 | 94.6 | |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 26.5 (5.3) | 26.2 (5.1) | 26.5 (5.5) | 26.6 (5.3) | |
| Waist circumference, cm* | 86.4 (13.1) | 86.4 (12.7) | 86.7 (13.6) | 86.8 (12.5) | |
| Physical activity, METS/wk | 18.7 (24.0) | 18.5 (23.1) | 18.1 (21.5) | 17.9 (21.8) | |
| Never smoker, % | 46.2 | 46.5 | 45.0 | 45.5 | |
| Past smoker, % | 48.2 | 48.9 | 50.4 | 50.3 | |
| Current smoker, % | 5.6 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.3 | |
| AHEI 2010 score | 60.0 (12.2) | 60.1 (11.2) | 60.2 (12.0) | 60.3 (12.1) | |
| History of cancer, % | 21.8 | 25.1 | 23.9 | 27.0 | |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, % | 11.2 | 13.4 | 14.0 | 13.4 | |
| Crohn's disease/ulcerative colitis, % | 2.6 | 3.5 | 3.5 | 3.6 | |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus, % | 1.0 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.7 | |
| Asthma, % | 13.3 | 14.4 | 16.8 | 14.7 | |
| COPD, % | 7.5 | 7.9 | 9.3 | 9.8 | |
| Oral steroid use, % | 4.6 | 6.6 | 6.4 | 6.8 | |
| Diabetes, % | 12.5 | 11.3 | 12.2 | 12.5 | |
| Hypertension, % | 63.4 | 63.6 | 64.3 | 63.2 | |
| Elevated cholesterol, % | 72.2 | 73.3 | 73.9 | 75.5 | |
| Aspirin use, ≥2 d/wk, % | 61.5 | 59.9 | 59.5 | 58.6 | |
| Antihypertensive use, % | 51.5 | 52.9 | 53.8 | 54.7 | |
| Statin use, % | 48.3 | 48.7 | 49.5 | 49.6 | |
| Thiazide or loop diuretic use, % | 28.4 | 30.3 | 31.3 | 29.8 | |
| Menopausal, yes, % | 100 | 100 | 100 | 100 | |
| Past hormone therapy use, % | 62.0 | 65.4 | 63.9 | 61.7 | |
| Current hormone therapy use, % | 11.4 | 11.7 | 12.5 | 12.4 | |
| Family history of heart disease, % | 17.8 | 18.0 | 17.8 | 17.4 | |
| Never HZ | 1–4 | 5–8 | 9–12 | ≥13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n=66 127) | (n=1310) | (n=1486) | (n=1076) | (n=992) | |
| NHS II (2009) | |||||
| Age, y | 54.4 (4.6) | 55.9 (4.4) | 55.5 (4.5) | 55.8 (4.6) | 55.0 (4.8) |
| Race, White, % | 94.5 | 95.3 | 94.6 | 96.2 | 95.6 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 27.5 (6.4) | 28.0 (6.4) | 28.0 (6.5) | 28.0 (6.7) | 27.9 (6.3) |
| Waist circumference, cm* | 87.2 (14.8) | 88.2 (14.8) | 88.4 (15.0) | 88.1 (15.1) | 87.9 (14.7) |
| Physical activity, METS/wk | 24.2 (29.6) | 23.0 (28.0) | 20.9 (27.7) | 22.1 (25.7) | 21.1 (25.5) |
| Never smoker, % | 65.7 | 64.7 | 64.3 | 65.0 | 62.7 |
| Past smoker, % | 28.4 | 30.6 | 29.8 | 27.8 | 29.5 |
| Current smoker, % | 5.7 | 4.7 | 5.6 | 6.9 | 7.6 |
| AHEI 2010 score | 62.6 (12.8) | 62.6 (12.7) | 62.3 (12.2) | 62.6 (12.5) | 61.3 (12.5) |
| History of cancer, % | 9.5 | 13.4 | 10.0 | 11.3 | 11.1 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, % | 3.6 | 4.3 | 6.6 | 3.7 | 6.5 |
| Crohn's disease/ulcerative colitis, % | 2.0 | 2.8 | 3.8 | 4.0 | 2.9 |
| Systemic lupus erythematosus, % | 0.8 | 1.4 | 1.8 | 1.7 | 2.4 |
| Asthma, % | 17.7 | 21.7 | 24.0 | 23.9 | 26.3 |
| COPD, % | 2.9 | 3.4 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.7 |
| Oral steroid use, % | 4.5 | 9.1 | 8.8 | 7.9 | 7.9 |
| Diabetes, % | 9.7 | 9.6 | 11.7 | 10.6 | 11.7 |
| Hypertension, % | 32.5 | 33.5 | 35.4 | 35.0 | 37.0 |
| Elevated cholesterol, % | 49.0 | 52.7 | 54.4 | 55.2 | 52.1 |
| Aspirin use, ≥2 d/wk, % | 36.7 | 36.6 | 40.2 | 41.1 | 39.4 |
| Antihypertensive use, % | 24.0 | 27.0 | 27.3 | 27.6 | 27.0 |
| Current statin use, % | 24.7 | 28.7 | 29.0 | 32.9 | 27.1 |
| Thiazide or loop diuretic use, % | 14.5 | 16.6 | 17.6 | 16.9 | 17.9 |
| Menopausal, yes, % | 67.7 | 70.5 | 71.5 | 70.3 | 70.3 |
| Current hormone therapy use, % | 14.0 | 14.4 | 16.0 | 15.9 | 16.3 |
| Family history of heart disease, % | 42.0 | 42.5 | 45.0 | 48.0 | 44.5 |
| Never HZ | 1–4 | 5–8 | 9–12 | ≥13 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| (n=17 574) | (n=588) | (n=316) | (n=245) | (n=406) | |
| HPFS (2008) | |||||
| Age, y | 71.1 (7.7) | 73.2 (7.9) | 73.6 (7.8) | 73.3 (7.9) | 74.0 (8.3) |
| Race, White, % | 90.9 | 92.9 | 91.0 | 90.5 | 91.6 |
| Body mass index, kg/m2 | 26.1 (3.8) | 26.1 (3.7) | 25.7 (3.5) | 25.6 (3.5) | 25.8 (3.7) |
| Waist circumference, cm* | 100.3 (10.9) | 100.6 (10.9) | 99.7 (9.6) | 98.9 (10.2) | 99.5 (10.4) |
| Physical activity, METS/wk | 42.1 (35.5) | 42.0 (35.1) | 44.4 (38.1) | 36.6 (30.2) | 44.6 (34.0) |
| Never smoker, % | 42.1 | 40.4 | 41.6 | 44.1 | 45.4 |
| Past smoker, % | 42.6 | 46.4 | 42.0 | 44.9 | 41.5 |
| Current smoker, % | 2.5 | 1.8 | 1.5 | 2.0 | 2.7 |
| AHEI 2010 score | 62.6 (11.9) | 62.6 (11.3) | 63.1 (11.7) | 63.8 (12.7) | 62.2 (11.5) |
| History of cancer, % | 23.8 | 25.9 | 23.7 | 27.5 | 27.3 |
| Rheumatoid arthritis, % | 7.3 | 8.8 | 8.0 | 9.7 | 7.7 |
| Crohn's disease/ulcerative colitis, % | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.9 | 4.0 | 3.0 |
| Asthma, % | 10.3 | 11.6 | 10.9 | 11.9 | 8.7 |
| COPD, % | 3.6 | 6.0 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 3.3 |
| Oral steroid use, % | 1.6 | 1.3 | 2.3 | 3.0 | 1.6 |
| Diabetes, % | 10.2 | 11.3 | 13.5 | 6.4 | 9.6 |
| Hypertension, % | 53.7 | 57.5 | 55.7 | 52.0 | 53.9 |
| Elevated cholesterol, % | 61.9 | 64.8 | 59.0 | 66.9 | 66.5 |
| Aspirin use, ≥2 d/wk, % | 66.2 | 63.6 | 65.0 | 74.7 | 65.8 |
| Antihypertensive use, % | 46.1 | 47.5 | 47.2 | 47.2 | 49.4 |
| Current statin use, % | 46.4 | 52.2 | 47.4 | 45.8 | 48.2 |
| Thiazide or loop diuretic use, % | 18.0 | 20.5 | 15.6 | 19.5 | 18.0 |
| Family history of heart disease, % | 14.0 | 14.3 | 11.2 | 14.0 | 16.1 |
Values are means (SDs) for continuous variables; percentages are given for categorical variables and are standardized to the age distribution of the study population. Values of polytomous variables may not sum to 100% because of rounding. AHEI indicates Alternative Healthy Eating Index; COPD, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; HPFS, Health Professionals Follow‐Up Study; HZ, herpes zoster; METS, metabolic equivalents; NHS, Nurses' Health Study; and NHS II, Nurses' Health Study II.
*
Waist circumference assessed in 2000 (NHS), 2005 (NHS II), and 1996 (HPFS).