A case-control study suggests that it does.
The possibility of genetic susceptibility to reactivated varicella zoster infection has been suggested by studies of the gene for interleukin-10; they show that cell-mediated immunity can be down-regulated more easily in some people than in others. Does this finding have any clinical significance?
In a case-control study, 504 immunocompetent patients with zoster and 523 matched controls with other skin conditions were asked to recall cases of zoster or zoster-like illness among immunocompetent family members. Zoster patients were more than four times as likely as controls to report herpes zoster, both in first-degree relatives and in more-distant relatives. Furthermore, cases were more than 13 times as likely as controls to report having more than one relative with zoster: what the investigators term a "dose-dependent effect" that is consistent with genetic susceptibility.
Comment: One suspects that recall bias affected this study, as shingles patients probably are far more likely than other people to probe their families’ dermatologic history. However, the results are intriguing and suggest that family history might be used to target individuals who could particularly benefit from zoster vaccination.
— Abigail Zuger, MD
Published in Journal Watch General Medicine July 1, 2008
Hicks LD et al. Family history as a risk factor for herpes zoster: A case-control study. Arch Dermatol 2008 May; 144:603.