title: Safety of zoster vaccine in elderly adults following documented herpes zoster.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  After completion of the Shingles Prevention Study (SPS; Department of Veterans Affairs Cooperative Studies Program Number 403), SPS participants who had initially received placebo were offered investigational zoster vaccine without charge. This provided an opportunity to determine the relative safety of zoster vaccine in older adults following documented herpes zoster (HZ).
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 13 681 SPS placebo recipients who elected to receive zoster vaccine were followed for serious adverse events (SAE) for 28 days after vaccination. In contrast to the SPS, a prior episode of HZ was not a contraindication to receiving zoster vaccine. The SPS placebo recipients who received zoster vaccine included 420 who had developed documented HZ during the SPS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean interval between the onset of HZ and the receipt of zoster vaccine in the 420 recipients with prior HZ was 3.61 years (median interval, 3.77 years [range, 3-85 months]); the interval was <5 years for approximately 80% of recipients. The proportion of vaccinated SPS placebo recipients with prior HZ who developed ≥ 1 SAE (0.95%) was not significantly different from that of vaccinated SPS placebo recipients with no prior history of HZ (0.66%), and the distribution of SAEs in the 2 groups was comparable.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results demonstrate that the general safety of zoster vaccine in older persons is not altered by a recent history of documented HZ, supporting the safety aspect of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices recommendation to administer zoster vaccine to all persons ≥ 60 years of age with no contraindications, regardless of a prior history of HZ.
authors: Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Minneapolis, and University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota 55417, USA. morri002@umn.edu
authors: Vicki A
authors: VA
authors: Morrison
authors: Michael N
authors: MN
authors: Oxman
authors: Myron J
authors: MJ
authors: Levin
authors: Kenneth E
authors: KE
authors: Schmader
authors: John C
authors: JC
authors: Guatelli
authors: Robert F
authors: RF
authors: Betts
authors: Larry D
authors: LD
authors: Gelb
authors: Constance T
authors: CT
authors: Pachucki
authors: Susan K
authors: SK
authors: Keay
authors: Barbara
authors: B
authors: Menzies
authors: Marie R
authors: MR
authors: Griffin
authors: Carol A
authors: CA
authors: Kauffman
authors: Adriana R
authors: AR
authors: Marques
authors: John F
authors: JF
authors: Toney
authors: Michael S
authors: MS
authors: Simberkoff
authors: Richard
authors: R
authors: Serrao
authors: Robert D
authors: RD
authors: Arbeit
authors: John W
authors: JW
authors: Gnann
authors: Richard N
authors: RN
authors: Greenberg
authors: Mark
authors: M
authors: Holodniy
authors: Wendy A
authors: WA
authors: Keitel
authors: Shingshing S
authors: SS
authors: Yeh
authors: Larry E
authors: LE
authors: Davis
authors: George E
authors: GE
authors: Crawford
authors: Kathy M
authors: KM
authors: Neuzil
authors: Gary R
authors: GR
authors: Johnson
authors: Jane H
authors: JH
authors: Zhang
authors: Rith
authors: R
authors: Harbecke
authors: Ivan S F
authors: IS
authors: Chan
authors: Paul M
authors: PM
authors: Keller
authors: Heather M
authors: HM
authors: Williams
authors: Kathy D
authors: KD
authors: Boardman
authors: Jeffrey L
authors: JL
authors: Silber
authors: Paula W
authors: PW
authors: Annunziato
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006562:Herpes Zoster / Q000276:immunology*; D053061:Herpes Zoster Vaccine / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged
chemical_list: D053061:Herpes Zoster Vaccine
keywords: ACIP recommendations; herpes zoster; zoster vaccine; zoster vaccine in elderly persons; zoster vaccine safety
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