Can Shingles Vaccine Cause Rheumatoid Arthritis

Most adults have been exposed to varicella zoster virus which causes chickenpox.

Can shingles vaccine cause rheumatoid arthritis.

Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful skin rash and people with ra are very vulnerable to it. People with chronic conditions like diabetes kidney disease rheumatoid arthritis and respiratory diseases should get the vaccine. The consensus of scientific literature though is that vaccines do not cause rheumatoid arthritis or other rheumatic diseases. This virus is never completely cleared from our bodies but lies quietly in spinal nerve cells.

People with rheumatoid arthritis ra have roughly twice the risk of healthy older adults of developing shingles a virus related to chickenpox that causes pain and a blistering rash. Zoster vaccine live zvl zostavax has been in use since 2006. Who can and can t get the shingles vaccine. Unlike the pneumonia vaccine the shingles vaccine contains live virus so it s not recommended for people taking certain types of rheumatoid arthritis medications.

First rheumatoid disease patients taking methotrexate azathriopine or prednisone may take the shingles vaccine if they re taking specific small dosages of those drugs according to an article in a recent issue of rheumatology news. Avoid the shingrix vaccine if you ve ever had the following. According to the hospital for special surgery with regard to worsening of existing rheumatic disease there haven t been many studies. Shingles represents the reactivation of a previous viral infection with herpes zoster the cause of chicken pox.

There s a once in a lifetime vaccine for it that s usually. A severe reaction to the first dose of. Talk to your doctor about which vaccinations might be appropriate for you and when during the course of your treatment is the best time to receive them. Rheumatoid arthritis chronic pulmonary disease unless a.

You should not get the shingrix vaccine if you ve ever had a. The shingles vaccines contain ingredients that can cause an allergic reaction in some people. This is why the shingles vaccine has been off limits. Two vaccines are licensed and recommended to prevent shingles in the u s.

Many adults have had infection with chicken pox as a child. Risk factors including aging and immunosuppression can lead to the reactivation of the virus usually along the course of a single nerve from the spine.