Herpes zoster recombinant vaccine helps reduce incidence of hepes zoster ophthalmicus: Study

Researchers undertook the current retrospective, observational cohort study to examine the effectiveness of the recombinant zoster vaccine for preventing herpes zoster ophthalmicus in the general US population.

Individuals enrolled in the OptumLabs® Data Warehouse (OLDW) (OptumLabs, Cambridge, MA) who were age-eligible for herpes zoster vaccination (≥50 years old) from 2018 through 2019. OLDW is a longitudinal, de-identified administrative claims and electronic health record database of patients in the United States with commercial insurance, Medicare Part D or Medicare Advantage .

As for the study protocol, Patients were required to have ≥365 days of continuous enrollment to be eligible. Those with a diagnosis code of herpes zoster or an immunocompromising condition within one year prior to study inclusion were excluded. Vaccination with the recombinant zoster vaccine was ascertained by CPT codes, and herpes zoster ophthalmicus was ascertained by ICD-10 codes. Incidence of herpes zoster ophthalmicus in vaccinated vs. unvaccinated person-time and vaccine effectiveness were assessed.

Data analysis revealed some interesting facts.

• From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019 a total of 4 842 579 individuals were included in this study. 177 289 (3.7%) received two valid doses of RZV.
• The incidence rate of herpes zoster ophthalmicus was 25.5 (95% CI: 17.4, 35.8) cases per 100 000 person-years in the vaccinated group compared to 76.7 (95% CI: 74.7, 78.7) in the unvaccinated group.
• The overall adjusted effectiveness of RZV against herpes zoster ophthalmicus was 89.1% (95% CI: 82.9, 93.0).

Primary source:Ophthalmology

For full article follow the link: Effectiveness of the Recombinant Zoster Vaccine for Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus in the United States Ophthalmology 2021 Apr 20;[EPub Ahead of Print], A Lu, Y Sun, TC Porco, BF Arnold, NR Acharya