Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study

Objectives Herpes zoster (HZ) infection is associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of MACE, highlighting the importance of studying this population to assess the p...

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Main Authors: Yu-Hsun Wang, Chi-Chih Wang, Chien-Ning Huang, Edy Kornelius, Shih-Chang Lo, Yi-Sun Yang
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: BMJ Publishing Group 2025-02-01
Series:BMJ Open
Online Access:https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e090428.full
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author Yu-Hsun Wang
Chi-Chih Wang
Chien-Ning Huang
Edy Kornelius
Shih-Chang Lo
Yi-Sun Yang
author_facet Yu-Hsun Wang
Chi-Chih Wang
Chien-Ning Huang
Edy Kornelius
Shih-Chang Lo
Yi-Sun Yang
author_sort Yu-Hsun Wang
collection DOAJ
description Objectives Herpes zoster (HZ) infection is associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of MACE, highlighting the importance of studying this population to assess the potential protective effects of HZ vaccination. This study aims to investigate the risk of MACE after HZ vaccination in patients with diabetes.Design Retrospective cohort study.Setting Community-based population in the USA.Participants Using the TriNetX database, the study included 4.9 million patients with diabetes from 2006 to 2022. It established two cohorts: 68 178 patients in the HZ vaccination (comprising any HZ vaccine, Shingrix or Zostavax) and 4 835 246 patients in the no HZ vaccination group. After excluding patients with a history of MACE, immune disease and complications of HZ prior to the index date, the study cohort was reduced to 45 960 patients. Propensity score matching, accounting for age, sex, race, socio-economic status and disease comorbidities, was conducted to minimise study bias.Interventions HZ vaccination.Outcome measures MACE outcomes are defined as the first occurrence of CAD or stroke. Comparative risk analysis was conducted using HRs.Results Post matching, the mean patient age was 63.5 years, with 49.2% females. The incidence rate of MACE was lower among vaccinated patients compared with unvaccinated individuals, with an HR of 0.76 (0.72–0.79). For secondary endpoints, the HRs were 0.73 (0.69–0.78) for CAD, 0.79 (0.74–0.84) for stroke and 0.54 (0.52–0.57) for all-cause mortality. These protective effects remained consistent across different age groups, sexes and diabetes types, supporting the potential benefit of HZ vaccination in reducing cardiovascular risk.Conclusions HZ vaccination is associated with a lower risk of MACE in patients with diabetes. Further prospective studies are critically needed to confirm this finding.
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spelling doaj-art-22ece3bfd7b744aab1c425fbd028bba72025-08-20T03:11:49ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552025-02-0115210.1136/bmjopen-2024-090428Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort studyYu-Hsun Wang0Chi-Chih Wang1Chien-Ning Huang2Edy Kornelius3Shih-Chang Lo4Yi-Sun Yang5Department of Medical Research, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, Taiwan1 School of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan8 Division of Endocrinology, Department of Internal Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanDepartment of Internal Medicine, Division of endocrinology and metabolism, Chung Shan Medical University Hospital, Taichung, TaiwanSchool of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung, TaiwanObjectives Herpes zoster (HZ) infection is associated with a higher risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), including stroke and coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with diabetes are at an increased risk of MACE, highlighting the importance of studying this population to assess the potential protective effects of HZ vaccination. This study aims to investigate the risk of MACE after HZ vaccination in patients with diabetes.Design Retrospective cohort study.Setting Community-based population in the USA.Participants Using the TriNetX database, the study included 4.9 million patients with diabetes from 2006 to 2022. It established two cohorts: 68 178 patients in the HZ vaccination (comprising any HZ vaccine, Shingrix or Zostavax) and 4 835 246 patients in the no HZ vaccination group. After excluding patients with a history of MACE, immune disease and complications of HZ prior to the index date, the study cohort was reduced to 45 960 patients. Propensity score matching, accounting for age, sex, race, socio-economic status and disease comorbidities, was conducted to minimise study bias.Interventions HZ vaccination.Outcome measures MACE outcomes are defined as the first occurrence of CAD or stroke. Comparative risk analysis was conducted using HRs.Results Post matching, the mean patient age was 63.5 years, with 49.2% females. The incidence rate of MACE was lower among vaccinated patients compared with unvaccinated individuals, with an HR of 0.76 (0.72–0.79). For secondary endpoints, the HRs were 0.73 (0.69–0.78) for CAD, 0.79 (0.74–0.84) for stroke and 0.54 (0.52–0.57) for all-cause mortality. These protective effects remained consistent across different age groups, sexes and diabetes types, supporting the potential benefit of HZ vaccination in reducing cardiovascular risk.Conclusions HZ vaccination is associated with a lower risk of MACE in patients with diabetes. Further prospective studies are critically needed to confirm this finding.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e090428.full
spellingShingle Yu-Hsun Wang
Chi-Chih Wang
Chien-Ning Huang
Edy Kornelius
Shih-Chang Lo
Yi-Sun Yang
Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study
BMJ Open
title Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study
title_full Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study
title_fullStr Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study
title_full_unstemmed Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study
title_short Association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes: long-term insights from a retrospective cohort study
title_sort association of herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular risk in patients with diabetes long term insights from a retrospective cohort study
url https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/2/e090428.full
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