Observational studyMedicine2020
Herpes Zoster in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving tofacitinib, a single center experience from Taiwan.
Observational study in Medicine, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
9 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 12 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence and risk factors of herpes zoster in patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in immunology · 2026Pooled it
- A systematic review and meta-analysis of herpes zoster risk in adults with immunocompromised conditions and autoimmune diseases in Asia-Pacific.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2025Pooled it
- Herpes zoster in patients with inflammatory arthritides or ulcerative colitis treated with tofacitinib, baricitinib or upadacitinib: a systematic review of clinical trials and real-world studies.Rheumatology international · 2023Pooled it
- From Awareness to Action: Addressing Knowledge Barriers and Promoting Herpes Zoster Vaccination in Chinese Rheumatic Disease Patients.Vaccines · 2025Article
- Real-world risk factors for herpes zoster in patients with rheumatoid arthritis undergoing tofacitinib treatment.Journal of the Chinese Medical Association : JCMA · 2024Article
- Methotrexate, Tofacitinib, and Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drug Safety and Effectiveness Among Patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis in Japan: CorEvitas Registry Observational Study.Rheumatology and therapy · 2024Article
- Prior herpes zoster occurrence and high-dose corticosteroids increase herpes zoster risk in rheumatoid arthritis patients receiving janus kinase inhibitors in a retrospective and observational study.Clinical rheumatology · 2024Observational
- Increased Risk of Herpes Zoster in Rheumatoid Arthritis Not Only Due to JAK Inhibitors-Study of 392 Patients from Single University Center.Journal of clinical medicine · 2024Article
- Comparative risk of infections between JAK inhibitors versus TNF inhibitors among patients with rheumatoid arthritis: a cohort study.Arthritis research & therapy · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 6 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
In clinical trials of tofacitinib for rheumatoid arthritis (RA), Japanese and Korean patients had higher incidence of herpes zoster (HZ) than subjects from elsewhere; however, post-market data from Asia are lacking. Hence, we investigated the incidence of HZ and its risk factors in Taiwanese RA patients receiving tofacitinib. At a medical center in Taichung, Taiwan, we enrolled patients with active RA treated with tofacitinib between January 4, 2015 and December 9, 2017, following unsuccessful methotrexate therapy and no tofacitinib exposure RA patients as a control group. Demographic characteristics, interferon-gamma levels, and lymphocyte counts were compared. Among 125 tofacitinib-treated RA patients, 7 developed HZ, an incidence rate of 3.6/100 person-years. Patients with HZ had shorter disease duration than those without, but higher frequency of prior HZ. Baseline interferon-gamma levels and HLA-DR activated T cell counts were positively correlated and significantly lower in patients with HZ than without. Strikingly, 5/7 HZ cases occurred within 4 months of starting tofacitinib therapy. Incidence of HZ in tofacitinib-treated Taiwanese RA patients is lower than rates in Japan or Korea, and commensurate with the global average. HZ may occur soon after commencing tofacitinib therapy. The role of interferon-gamma and activated T cells in tofacitinib-related HZ deserves further investigation.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.