The seroprevalence of varicella zoster antibodies in Behcet's and other skin diseases

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of the varicella zoster virus (VZV) IgG, and IgM antibodies with Behcet's and other skin diseases (group 1: recurrent aphthos stomatitis, fungal infections, psoriasis; group 2: vitiligo, lichen planus). Twenty eight patients with Behcet's disease ( BD), and 117 patients with dermatological disorders other than BD were evaluated for specific VZV IgG and IgM antibodies by using a third generation enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The Mantel Heizshel chi(2) method was used to adjust the confounding of age and sex of the patients. The serological positivity for VZV IgG and IgM antibodies in BD was not statistically different from other skin diseases. When we considered the age of the patients, chi(2) = 2.64, CI (0.27-1.65), odds ratio (1, 1.25, 2.21) (p = 0.10) and when we considered the sex of the patients, chi(2) = 0.31, CI (0.81-1.28), odds ratio (1, 1.45, 1.41), (p = 0.57).