Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40382657›Full record

Observational studyArthritis research & therapy2025

Real-world data on the use of the Shingrix vaccine among patients with inflammatory arthritis and risk of cardiovascular events following herpes zoster.

Jeffrey R Curtis, Danielle M Conrad, Whitney S Krueger, Andrew P Gara, Kevin L Winthrop

Abstract readObservational Study
In one paragraph

Observational study in Arthritis research & therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

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.

2 · The registry

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.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Analyzing Molecular Determinants of Nanodrugs' Cytotoxic Effects.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Trial
  3. Article
  4. Review
  5. Review
  6. Article
  7. Herpes Zoster in Aging Patients: Risk Factors and Prevention Strategies.International journal of general medicine · 2026
    Review
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Vaccination Update and Specific Concerns for RA.Current rheumatology reports · 2025
    Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Jeffrey R CurtisDivision of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, USA. jrcurtis@uabmc.edu.
Danielle M ConradAbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
Whitney S KruegerAbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
Andrew P GaraAbbVie Inc., North Chicago, IL, USA.
Kevin L WinthropSchools of Medicine and Public Health, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR, USA.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundRisk of cardiovascular events may increase after herpes zoster; therefore, American College of Rheumatology guidelines strongly recommend vaccination against herpes zoster in patients aged ≥ 18 years with rheumatic and musculoskeletal diseases taking immunosuppressive medications. Here, we investigated the effectiveness of Shingrix among patients with inflammatory arthritis and estimated the post-herpes zoster risk of cardiovascular events.

methodsIn this retrospective observational cohort study, data were obtained from the Optum™ Clinformatics™ Data Mart on patients aged ≥ 18 years with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, or axial spondyloarthritis. The proportions of patients receiving any Shingrix dose, a second dose, and a second dose within 6, 9, and 12 months were calculated. Incidence of herpes zoster following inflammatory arthritis diagnosis was reported. Vaccine effectiveness was calculated as (1 - incidence rate ratio of herpes zoster) × 100. Relative risk of cardiovascular events was assessed independently in the 30-, 45-, 60-, and 90-day periods post-herpes zoster in a subgroup of patients who experienced cardiovascular events.

resultsThe final cohort included 132,672 patients with inflammatory arthritis. Mean age was 60.4 years, 71.9% were female, and 80.0% were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis. Overall, 28,690 (21.6%) patients received ≥ 1 Shingrix dose, of whom only 73.2% received a second dose. Of those receiving a second dose, 17,598 (83.8%) received it within the recommended 2-6 months after the first. Herpes zoster occurred in 4,342 (3.3%) patients, of which 360 cases occurred after Shingrix vaccination. The incidence rate (95% confidence interval) of herpes zoster per 1,000 person-years was 7.41 (6.64, 8.17) after any Shingrix vaccination vs. 14.76 (14.30, 15.22) without vaccination (crude vaccine effectiveness: 50%). The risk of venous thromboembolic events was elevated in the 60-90 days post-herpes zoster; no significantly increased risk was observed for any other cardiovascular events.

conclusionsThis study showed that the effectiveness of Shingrix in patients with inflammatory arthritis on immunomodulatory treatment was 50%, and the risk of venous thromboembolic events was increased in the 60-90 days after herpes zoster, supporting the recommendation that adults with inflammatory arthritis should receive vaccination against herpes zoster to reduce the risk of such events.

Indexed as

Arthritis, RheumatoidCardiovascular DiseasesHerpes ZosterHerpes Zoster VaccineAdultAgedCohort StudiesFemaleHumansIncidenceMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesRisk FactorsHerpes Zoster VaccineArthritisCardiovascular diseaseHerpes zosterInflammatory diseaseReal-world studiesVaccines

Identifiers

PMID40382657
PMCPMC12085024

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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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.