Lupus & antiphospholipid syndrome
Burden of herpes zoster among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the USA
Authors' conclusion
Patients with SLE had a significantly higher incidence of HZ compared with adults without ICC. Patients with SLE who developed HZ incurred significantly higher all-cause costs than those who did not.
Study context
- Population
- Insured adults in the USA, 2015 to 2022
- Participants
- 60,430 / 21,206 / 1,000,000
- Exposure
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and SLE only vs no immunocompromising conditions (ICC); SLE+/herpes zoster (HZ)+ vs SLE+/HZ-
- SLEn = 60,430
- SLE onlyn = 21,206
- No ICCn = 1,000,000reference
- Outcome
- Incidence of HZ
Methodological detailsPoisson regression, propensity score matched (cost analysis)
- Poisson regression
- Propensity score matched (cost analysis)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
HZ incidence rate (per 1000 patient-years)
Each group vs no ICCAdjusted incidence rate ratio (95% CI)
SLE
1.89(1.79–2.00)
SLE only
1.54(1.40–1.69)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
| Outcome | Cost difference ($) (95% CI) |
|---|---|
| Mean all-cause per-patient costs, SLE+/HZ+ (n=2126) vs propensity score matched SLE+/HZ- (n=8504) · first 1 monthPropensity score matched | 1349 ($722 to 1977) |
| Mean all-cause per-patient costs, SLE+/HZ+ (n=1968) vs propensity score matched SLE+/HZ- (n=7872) · 3 monthsPropensity score matched | 1558 ($108 to 3007) |
Original publication
Burden of herpes zoster among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus in the USA. Lupus Sci Med. Published 17 December 2025. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →