Patients with Rheumatic and Immune Disorders at Higher Risk for Herpes Zoster: Emphasizing Vaccination in Immunocompromised Populations

During the 6th China International Import Expo, GSK, in collaboration with Xinhuanet Co., Ltd., hosted a roundtable meeting themed "Healthy Aging, Prevention First." At the meeting, Professor Jiang Lindi, Director of the Rheumatology and Immunology Department at Zhongshan Hospital Affiliated with Fudan University, introduced that most patients in the rheumatology and immunology department suffer from immune deficiency or immune dysfunction. This group belongs to the high-risk population for herpes zoster. Moreover, rheumatic disease patients often require immunosuppressive therapy, which increases the risk of infections, particularly the risk of herpes zoster.

Vaccination can effectively prevent infectious diseases, but there are bottlenecks in vaccination for patients with rheumatic immune diseases. Jiang Lin-di said: "Many clinical studies have not included immunocompromised populations, including vaccine trials, which makes both doctors and patients hesitant about vaccination. As a result, the vaccination rate among immunocompromised populations, such as those with rheumatic immune diseases, is very low." However, multiple guidelines and consensus recommendations now suggest that patients with rheumatic immune diseases should receive vaccines to prevent infections. Vaccination requires evaluation of the patient's condition by a specialist doctor, selection of an appropriate vaccination window, and attention to contraindications for vaccination: patients with immune deficiencies or immunosuppressive conditions should not receive live attenuated vaccines, while for recombinant subunit vaccines, being immunocompromised or having impaired immunity is not a contraindication.