The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, and the American College of Rheumatology have stated that the live attenuated herpes zoster (HZ) vaccine is contraindicated in patients treated with certain immunosuppressive medications, including all biologic drugs, some non-biologic immunosuppressive drugs (such as methotrexate), and glucocorticoids (such as prednisone). The concern, of course, is that arthritis patients treated with immunosuppressive drugs may develop varicella (shingles) infection from the live virus strain contained in the vaccine.
Researchers studied the association between the HZ vaccine and HZ incidence, within and following the 42 day period after receiving the vaccine, in patients with certain immune-mediated diseases -- a population of patients with a known elevated risk of HZ. The study group included patients with rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, and inflammatory bowel disease, treated with biologic or other immunosuppressive drugs. Data from Medicare claims, between January 1, 2006 and December 31, 2009, was used.
According to study results published in the July 4, 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), receipt of the HZ vaccine was not linked to a short-term increase in HZ incidence. Over a median of 2 years follow-up, there was actually a lower incidence of HZ. Researchers concluded that since the live HZ vaccine may not be linked to increased risk of developing HZ shortly after vaccination, there is need for a study that addresses the safety and effectiveness of the HZ vaccine, specifically in patients receiving treatment with biologic drugs. If you are considering the shingles vaccine, talk to your doctor. For now, the contraindication still holds. More studies are needed before that would change.
Related Articles:
- Herpes Zoster - Risk Increases With Rheumatoid Arthritis and DMARD Use
- Risk of Shingles May Increase in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients Using Certain TNF Blockers
- Biologics Explained
- Rheumatoid Arthritis - What You Should Know
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I HAVE RA AND OA. I DEVELOPED SHINGLES ON MY FACE. PER MY RA SPECIALIST IF I TAKE THE SHINGLES VACCINATION IT WILL KILL ME. PLEASE, CHECK WITH YOUR DOCTOR BEFORE TAKING THIS SHOT.
Ihave RA, Osteoperosis, and Lupus (in Remission) for the 2nd time. I take prednisone. (very little) and I refuse to take the shingles shot. I have read the side effects and will NOT take the chance!! i am healthy now and will not take any chances or risks with my health!! My brother took it and he is fine!! He is not on the same meds and in the same boat as I am !! PLEASE read the side effects FIRST!! Then, check with a GOOD doctor and ask questions, PLEASE do NOT GAMBLE with your health!!Stay healthy! Eat Healthy!!
My son was exposed to his child’s vaccination and promptly came down with shingles, then my husband, then me, so I am assuming that you become contagious from someone who has been vaccinated, and I’m sure that would be denied by ‘The Powers that Be’. I am very afraid of vaccinations just in the area of quality control these days, if nothing else, people are just reckless in general, then the consequences of any particular thing as in a shot, or some other medical procedure is not known some times for yrs. afterwards. I took the first swine flu shot, and came down with it, I thought I would die. I know the vaccinations are different now, but I still do not trust having anything injected into me, and this giving infants (who’s immune system that is probably not developed fully) is just rediculous , and when money is involved, as is now with the epidemic of vaccinations, all common sense goes out the window, and people are pressured to have these vaccinations, just had to same something about this because people think they are getting something to help them, or protect them just to have a new problem.
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