Background incidence rates of health outcomes of interest for COVID-19 vaccine safety monitoring in a US population: a claims database analysis.

Objective: To evaluate background incidence rates of 59 health outcomes of interest (HOI) in a diverse population, including important subpopulations, during the pre-COVID-19 era (1 January 2017-31 December 2019) and the COVID-19 era (1 March 2020-31 December 2020), before the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines.

Design: Observational retrospective cohort study. Annual incidence rates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of HOIs were estimated for each population of interest, stratified by: age, sex, age and sex and seasonality.

Incidence of Herpes Zoster and Postherpetic Neuralgia and Herpes Zoster Vaccination Uptake in a US Administrative Claims Database.

Background: The objective of this study was to estimate the annual incidence rates of herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN) among individuals aged ≥19 years and the proportion who received HZ vaccination among those aged ≥50 years.

Methods: This observational cohort study was conducted with administrative claims data from HealthVerity and included insured individuals across the US. Crude and US age- and sex-standardized incidence rates of HZ and PHN were calculated from 1 January 2019 to 31 May 2022 by calendar year in persons aged ≥19 years.

Prevalence of Genital Herpes and Antiviral Treatment.

Background: Genital herpes is a common sexually transmitted infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. Contemporary US population-based epidemiologic data on genital herpes are limited. This study aimed to provide nationally representative estimates of genital herpes prevalence and treatment using a large US health insurance claims database.

Statin Use and Severe Acute Liver Injury Among Patients with Elevated Alanine Aminotransferase.

Introduction: While serious liver injury among statin users is extremely rare, baseline liver enzyme testing is still recommended prior to initiating therapy. The benefit of such screening should be reevaluated based on empirical evidence. This study compared the risk of severe acute liver injury (SALI) between statin initiators with an elevated ALT (>35U/L) matched to statin initiators with a normal ALT level (≤35U/L).