Herpes Zoster Vaccination Delays Dementia by 20%

Karen McClorey Hackett — Fri, 04 Apr 2025 10:02:35 +0000

Reviewer:

A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster (shingles) vaccination offers additional evidence of a dementia-preventing or dementia-delaying effect from zoster vaccination that is less biased than the existing associational evidence.

This new finding is essential as dementia affects more than 55 million people worldwide, with an estimated 10 million new cases every year.

A pivotal study published in the journal Nature on April 2, 2025, reinforces the evidence that standard shingles vaccines may significantly protect older adults against dementia.

Researchers from Stanford Medicine and the Vienna University of Economics and Business analyzed health records of Welsh adults aged 71 to 88.

They found that vaccinated individuals were about 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years compared to those who were not vaccinated.

The authors cautioned that prior studies linking vaccines to improved health outcomes often face scrutiny because vaccinated individuals tend to have healthier behaviors.

In a press release, Dr. Pascal Geldsetzer, the study's senior author, stated, "These associational studies struggle with a fundamental issue: people who get vaccinated generally have different health behaviors than those who do not."

This new finding highlights the need for further research to fully understand the benefits of the shingles vaccine for older adults.

According to the U.S. CDC, shingles causes a painful rash. It results from the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus in adults who typically contracted chickenpox in childhood. The virus remains dormant in the nerve cells for the rest of its life.

In individuals who are older or have weakened immune systems, the dormant virus can reactivate, causing shingles.

Previously, the journal BMC Public Health published results from a study on October 2, 2023, concluding that both the zoster vaccine for preventing shingles and herpes zoster, as well as the influenza vaccine, were associated with a diminished risk of dementia.

This study concluded that the association of herpes-zoster vaccination appeared more pronounced.

And a non-peer-reviewed study published on May 25, 2023, reported that shingles vaccinations were associated with a 19.9% lower risk of dementia.

As of April 2025, various shingles vaccines are offered globally.

Furthermore, the U.S. CDC recommends vaccinations for eligible seniors, which are available at clinics and pharmacies.

Note: This news article was updated on April 23, 2025.

Sub Title:

Shingles vaccines are available worldwide in 2025

References:

A natural experiment on the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on dementia

The association of herpes zoster and influenza vaccinations with the risk of developing dementia: a population-based cohort stud

Does shingles vaccination cut dementia risk? Large study hints at a link

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health, vaccines, vaccinations

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Fact checked:

Friday, April 4, 2025 - 05:45

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by Gaspard Delaruelle 2025

Shingles Vaccination May Reduce Dementia

Karen McClorey Hackett — Wed, 14 Aug 2024 10:17:21 +0000

Reviewer:

Robert Carlson, MD

With an aging population, age-related cognitive decline is an increasing health burden for families and society. Recently, there has been scientific evidence indicating that herpesviruses may influence the risk of cognitive decline, such as dementia.

A recent study published in Alzheimer's Research & Therapy revealed that individuals who have had herpes zoster (HZ, shingles) may have a 20% higher risk of experiencing subsequent subjective cognitive decline (SCD) over the long term.

This large-scale study is the first to explore the connection between shingles and the risk of subjective cognitive decline. However, this link between the shingles virus and cognition is not fully understood.

These researchers wrote on August 12, 2023, that evidence on the longitudinal association between shingles and cognitive decline is conflicting, and whether the risk differs by the APOE ε4-carrier gene status has not been studied.

To investigate this association, Brigham and Women's Hospital researchers examined survey data from 149,327 individuals.

Compared with individuals with no history of shingles, the multivariable-adjusted relative risk (MVRR) (95% CI) of a 3-unit increment in SCD score was significantly and independently higher among individuals with a history of HZ.

Still, the duration of time since HZ, when the elevated risk of SCD was statistically significant, differed among the study cohorts.

Among the subset of women with information on HZ vaccination, there was a suggestion that the long-term risk of SCD may be greater among women who were not vaccinated against HZ.

The study also found that men with shingles who carry the APOE4 gene, a known risk factor for dementia, had an even higher risk of subjective cognitive decline. About 25% of people carry one copy of APOE4, and 3% may carry two copies.

These researchers noted that this increased risk was observed in men but not women.

Previous research has yielded mixed evidence on the link between shingles and dementia, possibly because some studies only included individuals who sought medical attention for them using insurance claims or administrative diagnostic data, wrote these researchers.

Regarding herpes zoster prevention, there are various shingles vaccines available globally.

In the United States, GSK's Shingrix®, a non-live, adjuvanted recombinant shingles vaccine, is offered by clinics and most pharmacies. Furthermore numerous health insurance programs cover most of the cost related to vaccination.

Sub Title:

Herpes zoster vaccine associated with reduced subjective cognitive decline

References:

Herpes zoster and long-term risk of subjective cognitive decline

APOE4 gene may increase risk for dementia

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Google News Keywords:

Herpes, vaccinations

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Fact checked:

Wednesday, August 14, 2024 - 05:45

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by Mircea Iancu

Shingles Vaccines

Herpes Zoster Vaccination Delays Dementia by 20%

Shingles Vaccination May Reduce Dementia