Shingles risk in rheumatoid arthritis is not down to medication

People with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) are more likely to get shingles than others. Experts were concerned that this increased risk could be down to the type of treatment people with rheumatoid arthritis are given.

So a US team looked at data from 60,000 patients with rheumatoid arthritis and other inflammatory diseases and found that those who started anti-tumour necrosis factor therapies were then not at higher risk of shingles compared to those who started non-biologic treatments.

Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study shows that the type of treatment given to people with rheumatoid arthritis does not increase the likelihood of them getting shingles. The factors that did increase risk were increasing age, being female, overall health status and higher-doses of corticosteroids.

Previous research found the opposite effect – that people on anti-TNF therapy were more likely to get shingles because of the drugs’ effects on the immune system. More research is needed before firm conclusions are made. Meanwhile, healthcare professionals must monitor people with rheumatoid arthritis for early signs of shingles.