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Herpes zoster incidence did not increase among those who received the vaccine
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New findings indicate that there was not a short-term increase of herpes zoster incidence among older adults with immune-mediated diseases who received the herpes zoster vaccines.
According to the data published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the overall incidence rate was 7.8 cases per 1,000 person-years among vaccinated individuals.
Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham conducted a retrospective cohort study of 463,541 Medicare beneficiaries who were 60 years or older. The beneficiaries had rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis or inflammatory bowel disease. Patients were identified using Medicare claims data from Jan. 1, 2006 to Dec. 31, 2009. The researchers determined the herpes zoster incidence rate within 42 days after vaccination and beyond 42 days.
During the study period, 4% of patients received the herpes zoster vaccine. Within 42 days after vaccination, there were fewer than 11 cases of herpes zoster; overall incidence rate was 7.8 cases per 1,000 person-years among vaccinated individuals. Among unvaccinated individuals, the overall incidence rate was 11.6 cases per 1,000 person-years. More than 42 days after vaccination, there were 138 cases of herpes zoster, for an incidence rate of 6.7 cases per 1,000 person-years.
“Despite the recognition that patients with immune-mediate conditions are at increased risk for herpes zoster, this and previous studies have shown that only a small fraction of patients received the vaccine, likely in part due to safety concerns,” the researchers wrote.
References:
Zhang J. JAMA. 2012;308:43-49.
Disclosures:
The researchers reported financial relationships with Abbott, Amgen, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Centocor, Genentech/Roche, Merck, Millennium Pharmaceuticals, Pfizer, Shire, Takeda and UCB.