New Large-Scale Observational Study Shows COVID-19 Could Create Vulnerability to Shingles for People Age 50+

Issued: Philadelphia, PA

According to a new study conducted by GSK, people age 50 or older in the US who have had COVID-19 may be at greater risk of developing shingles – a painful rash – compared to those who haven’t been diagnosed with COVID-19. This research was published in the Infectious Diseases Society of America’s Open Forum Infectious Diseases.

Key findings include:

• In this retrospective cohort study, people aged 50 or older who contracted COVID-19 were 15% more likely to develop shingles compared to controls who were never diagnosed with COVID-19.
• Risk of shingles was elevated for up to six months after a COVID-19 diagnosis.
• Those hospitalized for COVID-19 were 21% more likely to develop shingles.

The study observed adults aged 50 years and older using claims data from two large US databases and matched persons with and without COVID-19 using various known shingles risk factors. Anyone vaccinated against either shingles or COVID-19 was excluded from the cohorts.   

“This is the first epidemiological evidence linking prior COVID-19 infection with increased shingles risk among older adults, who are already at heightened risk of shingles due to age-related decline in immunity,” said Temi Folaranmi, MD, Vice President and Vaccines Therapeutic Area Head, US Medical Affairs, GSK. “It is important that healthcare professionals are aware of this potential increased risk so patients can be diagnosed and treated early if they develop shingles following COVID-19. These results also highlight the importance of preventative measures, such as vaccination, to protect the health and wellbeing of older adults who are at risk for vaccine-preventable diseases like COVID-19 and shingles.”

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by a reactivation of the varicella zoster virus (VZV) – the same virus that causes chickenpox – which lays dormant in the body after the initial infection. Nearly all adults over age 50 carry the virus that causes shingles. Natural age-related decline of the immune system can allow VZV to resurface, causing shingles. People with a suppressed or compromised immune system are also at increased risk of developing shingles.

Study Methodology

Data were sourced from the Truven MarketScan Commercial Claims and Encounters, Medicare Supplemental and Optum Clinformatics Data Mart databases. These databases contain medical claims, prescription drugs and outpatient laboratory results data.

Individuals with a first-time COVID-19 diagnosis were matched with controls according to age, sex, shingles risk factors and healthcare costs. Each patient in the COVID-19 group was randomly matched to four patients in the non-COVID-19 group among a pool of individuals who fit the criteria.

To be included, individuals could not have received prior COVID-19 or shingles vaccinations. Vaccination status was based on National Drug Codes and Current Procedural Terminology codes.

Limitations of the study include those inherent to retrospective research based on claims data. Even though the study was controlled for possible confounding, there is the possibility for residual confounding. For example, while the study excluded HZ- and COVID-19-vaccinated persons, it is possible that not all vaccinations were recorded in the database. Additionally, the two databases included do not contain information from individuals insured through Medicaid or Medicare (other than Medicare Advantage) which may affect the generalizability of results.

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Cautionary statement regarding forward-looking statements

GSK cautions investors that any forward-looking statements or projections made by GSK, including those made in this announcement, are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected. Such factors include, but are not limited to, those described in the Company's Annual Report on Form 20-F for 2020, GSK’s Q3 Results and any impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.