RESEARCH - Moderate-to-severe RA patients at higher risk for herpes zoster

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Moderate-To-Severe RA Patients at Higher Risk for Herpes Zoster

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) May 25 - Patients being treated for

moderate-to-severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to

develop herpes zoster than are patients treated for mild RA.

This finding stems from a study of more than 20,000 RA patients in the

Veterans Affairs healthcare system, reported in the May 15th issue of

Clinical Infectious Diseases.

Using the VA's national administrative databases, Dr. Jay R. Mc

from St. Louis Veterans Affairs Medical Center, St. Louis, Missouri,

and colleagues found an overall incidence in the RA cohort of 9.96

herpes zoster episodes per 1000 patient-years.

The incidence of zoster was significantly higher among patients who

received " Group 2 " (e.g., methotrexate, leflunomide, azathioprine,

cyclophosphamide, cyclosporine, or anakinra) or " Group 3 " (etanercept,

infliximab, or adalimumab) medications for treatment of moderate or

severe disease, respectively, than among patients treated for mild

disease (e.g., with hydroxychloroquine, sulfasalazine, auranofin,

injectable gold, or penicillamine).

Among the TNF antagonists, infliximab was associated with a higher

risk of herpes zoster than were etanercept and adalimumab.

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/703238

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