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Herpes Zoster & the Risk of Stroke in Patients with Autoimmune Diseases

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Prompt antiviral therapy was associated with lower incidence of subsequent stroke (IRR 0.83 per 100 patient-years [95% CI 0.70–0.98]).

Conclusion: In patients with autoimmune diseases, incident HZ was associated with as much as a twofold increased risk of stroke in the subsequent few months. In younger patients, we hypothesize that the HZ-related relative effect on stroke risk is greater than that observed in this analysis.

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Given the public health implications of these observations, new urgency should be directed at increasing the rate of administering vaccinations for zoster in vulnerable populations.

Read the full article.

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Excerpted and adapted from:

Calabrese LH, Xie F, Yun H, et al. Herpes Zoster and the risk of stroke in patients with autoimmune diseases. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2017 Feb;69(2):439–446. doi:10.1002/art.39855

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