Shingles Prevention for Lupus Patients: Insights from a New Study
Arielle Mendel, MD, M.Sc.,
Junior Scientist, RI-MUHC, Montreal General Hospital site
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, McGill University
Department of Medicine, Division of Rheumatology, MUHC
Study: REcombinant herpes ZostER Vaccination in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
People with lupus are at especially high risk for shingles due to their compromised immune systems. Fortunately, a shingles vaccine, safe for individuals with weakened immune systems, has been available in Canada since 2017. This study aims to understand the effectiveness of this vaccine for lupus patients, providing valuable insights into its role in preventing shingles.
Research Goals:
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(1) Understand patterns of shingles vaccination among people with lupus.
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(2) Assess if the shingles vaccination is associated with lupus flares.
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(3) Evaluate whether people with lupus mount good immune (antibody) responses to the shingles vaccine.
Why This Matters: Our results will help us to determine if taking immunosuppressants at the time of vaccination reduces immune responses to the vaccine, and whether people with lupus continue to have enough antibodies to shingles years after vaccination.