{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,4]],"date-time":"2026-03-04T15:31:32Z","timestamp":1772638292634,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"10","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]],"date-time":"2025-10-20T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1760918400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Vaccines"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Herpes zoster (HZ), commonly known as shingles, is a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that predominantly affects older adults and immunocompromised individuals. Vaccination with the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) has proven effective in preventing HZ and its complications in real-world scenarios, yet coverage remains suboptimal in primary care settings. This study aims to analyse the demographic and clinical characteristics of HZ-vaccinated patients in a primary care centre in Madrid, Spain, in 2023 and to assess adherence to the vaccination schedule. Methods: A retrospective descriptive analysis was conducted, including 1146 patients from a single primary care centre who received at least one dose of RZV during the study period. Data were extracted from medical records. Patient characteristics, including age, sex, and the presence of comorbidities (e.g., diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hypertension, asthma), were examined. Vaccine coverage was calculated for the new age cohorts introduced in the year 2023. Comorbidity prevalence was also analysed by age and sex to determine patterns in vaccination uptake. Results: The analysis revealed that 66% of vaccinated individuals presented one or more of the analysed comorbidities. Adherence to the two-dose schedule was 91.97%, and vaccine coverages were 46.56% in those born between 1943\u20131948 and 39.32% in the 1958 cohort. The findings underscore the need for targeted strategies to raise disease awareness and improve HZ vaccination rates and adherence, particularly among elderly individuals and those with comorbid conditions. Conclusions: This study specifies the clinical characteristics of HZ-vaccinated patients in a primary care setting and highlights the importance of enhanced vaccination awareness and adherence strategies to reduce the burden of HZ among at-risk populations.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/vaccines13101069","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]],"date-time":"2025-10-20T08:18:54Z","timestamp":1760948334000},"page":"1069","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":2,"title":["Demographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Vaccinated Against Herpes Zoster in a Primary Care Setting in Spain: A Retrospective Study"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5223-6571","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Jos\u00e9 Mar\u00eda","family":"Blanc-Rodriguez-Arias","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health, Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28916 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Isabel","family":"Jimeno-Sanz","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Primary Care Health Centre Isla de Oza, 28035 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5790-1959","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Valent\u00edn","family":"Hern\u00e1ndez-Barrera","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health, Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28916 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1315-4386","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Alejandro","family":"\u00c1lvaro-Meca","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health, Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28916 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Manuel","family":"Torres-Ramos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Family and Community Medicine, Jimenez-Diaz Foundation, 28040 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-1295-7101","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"\u00c1ngel","family":"Gil-de-Miguel","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Medical Specialties and Public Health, Area of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Rey Juan Carlos University, 28916 Madrid, Spain"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"675","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ncl.2008.03.011","article-title":"Varicella zoster virus infection: Clinical features, molecular pathogenesis of disease, and latency","volume":"26","author":"Mueller","year":"2008","journal-title":"Neurol. Clin."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"327","DOI":"10.1002\/rmv.362","article-title":"Varicella-zoster virus latency in human ganglia","volume":"12","author":"Kennedy","year":"2002","journal-title":"Rev. Med. Virol."},{"key":"ref_3","first-page":"S13","article-title":"Herpes zoster pathogenesis and cell-mediated immunity and immunosenescence","volume":"109","author":"Oxman","year":"2009","journal-title":"J. Am. Osteopath Assoc."},{"key":"ref_4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S1","DOI":"10.1086\/510206","article-title":"Recommendations for the management of herpes zoster","volume":"44","author":"Dworkin","year":"2007","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_5","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Kennedy, P.G.E., and Gershon, A.A. (2018). Clinical Features of Varicella-Zoster Virus Infection. Viruses, 10.","DOI":"10.3390\/v10110609"},{"key":"ref_6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"S58","DOI":"10.1086\/522123","article-title":"Humoral and cellular immunity to varicella-zoster virus: An overview","volume":"197","author":"Arvin","year":"2008","journal-title":"J. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_7","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Munoz-Quiles, C., Lopez-Lacort, M., Diez-Domingo, J., and Orrico-Sanchez, A. (2020). Herpes zoster risk and burden of disease in immunocompromised populations: A population-based study using health system integrated databases, 2009\u20132014. BMC Infect. Dis., 20.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-020-05648-6"},{"key":"ref_8","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"991","DOI":"10.2165\/0002512-200825120-00002","article-title":"Herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia: Optimizing management in the elderly patient","volume":"25","author":"Johnson","year":"2008","journal-title":"Drugs Aging."},{"key":"ref_9","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Marra, F., Parhar, K., Huang, B., and Vadlamudi, N. (2020). Risk Factors for Herpes Zoster Infection: A Meta-Analysis. Open Forum Infect. Dis., 7.","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofaa005"},{"key":"ref_10","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1041","DOI":"10.1111\/j.1432-2277.2009.00927.x","article-title":"The aging of the immune system","volume":"22","author":"Weiskopf","year":"2009","journal-title":"Transpl. Int."},{"key":"ref_11","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Crooke, S.N., Ovsyannikova, I.G., Poland, G.A., and Kennedy, R.B. (2019). Immunosenescence and human vaccine immune responses. Immun. Ageing., 16.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12979-019-0164-9"},{"key":"ref_12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1731","DOI":"10.1503\/cmaj.091711","article-title":"The impact of herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia on health-related quality of life: A prospective study","volume":"182","author":"Drolet","year":"2010","journal-title":"CMAJ"},{"key":"ref_13","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1113","DOI":"10.1007\/s40520-019-01374-5","article-title":"Vaccination for quality of life: Herpes-zoster vaccines","volume":"33","author":"Lang","year":"2021","journal-title":"Aging Clin. Exp. Res."},{"key":"ref_14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Marra, F., Ruckenstein, J., and Richardson, K. (2017). A meta-analysis of stroke risk following herpes zoster infection. BMC Infect. Dis., 17.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-017-2278-z"},{"key":"ref_15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Parameswaran, G.I., Drye, A.F., Wattengel, B.A., Carter, M.T., Doyle, K.M., and Mergenhagen, K.A. (2023). Increased Myocardial Infarction Risk Following Herpes Zoster Infection. Open Forum Infect. Dis., 10.","DOI":"10.1093\/ofid\/ofad137"},{"key":"ref_16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e1335","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciac549","article-title":"Increased Stroke Risk Following Herpes Zoster Infection and Protection With Zoster Vaccine","volume":"76","author":"Parameswaran","year":"2023","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"5304","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2021.1985890","article-title":"Risk of Guillain-Barre syndrome following herpes zoster, United States, 2010\u20132018","volume":"17","author":"Anderson","year":"2021","journal-title":"Hum. Vaccin Immunother."},{"key":"ref_18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Munoz-Quiles, C., Lopez-Lacort, M., and Diez-Domingo, J. (2018). Risk and impact of herpes zoster among COPD patients: A population-based study, 2009\u20132014. BMC Infect. Dis., 18.","DOI":"10.1186\/s12879-018-3121-x"},{"key":"ref_19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Mortimer, K.J., Cruz, A.A., Sepulveda-Pachon, I.T., Jorga, A., Vroling, H., and Williams, C. (2024). Global herpes zoster burden in adults with asthma: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur. Respir. J., 64.","DOI":"10.1183\/13993003.00462-2024"},{"key":"ref_20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2606","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2017.1368600","article-title":"Risk and impact of herpes zoster on patients with diabetes: A population-based study, 2009\u20132014","volume":"13","year":"2017","journal-title":"Hum. Vaccin Immunother."},{"key":"ref_21","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1714","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2020.1847582","article-title":"A systematic literature review of herpes zoster incidence worldwide","volume":"17","author":"Vroling","year":"2021","journal-title":"Hum. Vaccin Immunother."},{"key":"ref_22","unstructured":"Masa-Calles, J., Lopez-Perea, N., Vila Cordero, B., and Carmona, R. (2021). [Surveillance and epidemiology of Herpes Zoster in Spain]. Rev. Esp. Salud Publica, 95."},{"key":"ref_23","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"143","DOI":"10.1007\/s40121-022-00717-6","article-title":"Hospitalization Burden Related to Herpes Zoster Infection in Spain (2016\u20132019)","volume":"12","year":"2023","journal-title":"Infect. Dis. Ther."},{"key":"ref_24","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Irigoyen-Mansilla, V.M., Gil-Prieto, R., Gea-Izquierdo, E., Barrio-Fernandez, J.L., Hernandez-Barrera, V., and Gil-de-Miguel, A. (2023). Hospitalization burden related to herpes zoster infection during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain (2020\u20132021). Hum. Vaccin Immunother., 19.","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2023.2256047"},{"key":"ref_25","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Arvin, A., Campadelli-Fiume, G., Mocarski, E., Moore, P.S., Roizman, B., Whitley, R., and Yamanishi, K. (2007). Antiviral therapy of varicella-zoster virus infections. Human Herpesviruses: Biology, Therapy, and Immunoprophylaxis, Cambridge University Press.","DOI":"10.1017\/CBO9780511545313"},{"key":"ref_26","first-page":"656","article-title":"Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia: Prevention and Management","volume":"96","author":"Saguil","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am. Fam. Physician."},{"key":"ref_27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1111\/jdv.13995","article-title":"European consensus-based (S2k) Guideline on the Management of Herpes Zoster-guided by the European Dermatology Forum (EDF) in cooperation with the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology (EADV), Part 1: Diagnosis","volume":"31","author":"Werner","year":"2017","journal-title":"J. Eur. Acad. Dermatol. Venereol."},{"key":"ref_28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"53","DOI":"10.1016\/j.medmal.2011.11.001","article-title":"Effectiveness of antiviral treatment on acute phase of herpes zoster and development of post herpetic neuralgia: Review of international publications","volume":"42","author":"Bruxelle","year":"2012","journal-title":"Med. Mal. Infect."},{"key":"ref_29","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"103","DOI":"10.15585\/mmwr.mm6703a5","article-title":"Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices for Use of Herpes Zoster Vaccines","volume":"67","author":"Dooling","year":"2018","journal-title":"Morb. Mortal. Wkly. Rep."},{"key":"ref_30","unstructured":"Grupo de Trabajo de Vacunaci\u00f3n Frente a Herpes Z\u00f3ster de la Ponencia de Programa y Registro de Vacunaciones (2025, September 01). Comisi\u00f3n de Salud P\u00fablica del Consejo Interterritorial del Sistema Nacional de Salud. Ministerio de Sanidad.Recomendaciones de Vacunaci\u00f3n Frente a Herpes Z\u00f3ster. Available online: https:\/\/www.mscbs.gob.es\/profesionales\/saludPublica\/prevPromocion\/vacunaciones\/programasDeVacunacion\/docs\/HerpesZoster_RecomendacionesVacunacion.pdf."},{"key":"ref_31","unstructured":"(2025, September 01). Madrid. DGdSPCdSCd. Informe de Seguimiento de la Vacunaci\u00f3n Frente a Herpes Z\u00f3ster en la Comunidad de Madrid. Available online: https:\/\/www.comunidad.madrid\/sites\/default\/files\/doc\/sanidad\/prev\/informe_seguimeinto_vacunacion_hz.pdf."},{"key":"ref_32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1019","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1603800","article-title":"Efficacy of the Herpes Zoster Subunit Vaccine in Adults 70 Years of Age or Older","volume":"375","author":"Cunningham","year":"2016","journal-title":"N. Engl. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_33","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2087","DOI":"10.1056\/NEJMoa1501184","article-title":"Efficacy of an adjuvanted herpes zoster subunit vaccine in older adults","volume":"372","author":"Lal","year":"2015","journal-title":"N. Engl. J. Med."},{"key":"ref_34","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"941","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciab125","article-title":"Recombinant Zoster Vaccine (Shingrix): Real-World Effectiveness in the First 2 Years Post-Licensure","volume":"73","author":"Izurieta","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_35","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"253","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jinf.2020.12.013","article-title":"Incidence and disease burden of herpes zoster in the population aged >\/=50 years in China: Data from an integrated health care network","volume":"82","author":"Sun","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Infect."},{"key":"ref_36","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"3974","DOI":"10.1016\/j.vaccine.2021.05.056","article-title":"Effectiveness of the recombinant zoster vaccine among Kaiser Permanente Hawaii enrollees aged 50 and older: A retrospective cohort study","volume":"39","author":"Sun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Vaccine"},{"key":"ref_37","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"949","DOI":"10.1093\/cid\/ciab121","article-title":"Effectiveness of the Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Adults Aged 50 and Older in the United States: A Claims-Based Cohort Study","volume":"73","author":"Sun","year":"2021","journal-title":"Clin. Infect. Dis."},{"key":"ref_38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Florea, A., Sy, L., Qian, L., Ackerson, B., Luo, Y., Wu, J., Cheng, Y., Ku, J., Vega Daily, L., and Takhar, H. (2024). Real-world effectiveness of recombinant zoster vaccine in self-identified Chinese individuals aged >\/=50 years in the United States. Hum. Vaccin Immunother., 20.","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2024.2327145"},{"key":"ref_39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"189","DOI":"10.7326\/M23-2023","article-title":"Effectiveness of Recombinant Zoster Vaccine Against Herpes Zoster in a Real-World Setting","volume":"177","author":"Zerbo","year":"2024","journal-title":"Ann. Intern. Med."},{"key":"ref_40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1231","DOI":"10.1093\/gerona\/gly150","article-title":"Quality of Life Impact of an Adjuvanted Recombinant Zoster Vaccine in Adults Aged 50 Years and Older","volume":"74","author":"Curran","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Gerontol. A Biol. Sci. Med. Sci."},{"key":"ref_41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Shah, S., Dahal, K., Thapa, S., Subedi, P., Paudel, B.S., Chand, S., Salem, A., Lammle, M., Sah, R., and Krsak, M. (2024). Herpes zoster vaccination and the risk of dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Brain Behav., 14.","DOI":"10.1002\/brb3.3415"},{"key":"ref_42","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"2777","DOI":"10.1038\/s41591-024-03201-5","article-title":"The recombinant shingles vaccine is associated with lower risk of dementia","volume":"30","author":"Taquet","year":"2024","journal-title":"Nat. Med."},{"key":"ref_43","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Garcia, A., Vallejo-Aparicio, L.A., and Cambronero Martinez, R. (2024). The public health impact of recombinant herpes zoster vaccination in adults over 50 years in Spain. Hum. Vaccin Immunother., 20.","DOI":"10.1080\/21645515.2024.2366353"},{"key":"ref_44","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"692","DOI":"10.1016\/j.annepidem.2005.12.002","article-title":"Gender as an independent risk factor for herpes zoster: A population-based prospective study","volume":"16","author":"Opstelten","year":"2006","journal-title":"Ann. Epidemiol."},{"key":"ref_45","unstructured":"P\u00fablica (2025, September 01). CdMDGdS. Informe de Coberturas de Vacunaci\u00f3n. Available online: https:\/\/www.comunidad.madrid\/sites\/default\/files\/doc\/sanidad\/prev\/informe_coberturas_de_vacunacion_cm_2019_2023.pdf."}],"container-title":["Vaccines"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-393X\/13\/10\/1069\/pdf","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]],"date-time":"2025-10-20T08:44:22Z","timestamp":1760949862000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.mdpi.com\/2076-393X\/13\/10\/1069"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]]},"references-count":45,"journal-issue":{"issue":"10","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,10]]}},"alternative-id":["vaccines13101069"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/vaccines13101069","relation":{},"ISSN":["2076-393X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2076-393X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,20]]}}}