Getting the Shingrix vaccine after the age of 50 can reduce your chances of developing the painful skin condition known as shingles. Vaccination also might help reduce your risk of dementia, according to a recent study.
Those who received the two-dose shingles vaccine reduced their risk of dementia in the six years following vaccination, according to a study of more than 200,000 people that was published in the scientific journal Nature Medicine.
Although the benefit was seen in all participants, it was especially pronounced in women.
When the original shingles vaccine — Zostavax — was unveiled in 2006, it was quickly discovered that the vaccine might confer some protective effect against dementia. Shingrix has since replaced Zostavax as the recommended shingles vaccine; it is known to be much more effective in preventing shingles.
Since the 2017 switchover from Zostavax to Shingrix, researchers have investigated whether the Shingrix vaccination also lowers the risk of a dementia diagnosis.
As part of the recent study, researchers at the University of Oxford and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Oxford Health Biomedical Research Centre (OH BRC) looked at electronic health records network and compared the dementia risk of those who had gotten Zostavax to those vaccinated with Shingrix.
According to a summary of the study’s findings:
“Shingrix was associated with 17% lower risk of dementia than Zostavax, and 23%-27% less than with the other vaccines [i.e., the influenza and tetanus–diphtheria–pertussis vaccines]. This equates to 5-9 more months lived without dementia for those who had been given the Shingrix vaccine compared to the other vaccines. The beneficial effects were present in both sexes but greater in women than in men.”
Although the findings were characterized as “robust,” researchers stressed the need for more studies before recommending Shingrix vaccination as a way to lower the risk of dementia.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the Shingrix vaccination for adults 50 and older as a way of preventing shingles, a painful condition that afflicts those who previously had chicken pox at some point in their lives.
The herpes zoster virus causes shingles, which tends to impact older adults. It can have serious health impacts, including a painful rash and fluid-filled blisters. In some cases, shingles can even cause blindness.
In the summary of the study findings, John Todd — professor of precision medicine at the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Medicine — said:
“A key question is, how does the vaccine produce its apparent benefit in protecting against dementia? One possibility is that infection with the herpes zoster virus might increase the risk of dementia, and therefore by inhibiting the virus the vaccine could reduce this risk. Alternatively, the vaccine also contains chemicals which might have separate beneficial effects on brain health.”
Add a Comment