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Shingles shot linked to lower heart attack, stroke risk, study finds
USA Today • • health
Key Points:
- New research published in Nature indicates that the latest shingles vaccine is linked to a 9% reduction in cardiovascular disease risk over seven years compared to an older vaccine, including lower risks of heart disease, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.
- The study, involving over 70,000 U.S. adults aged 60 and older, also found that males who received the vaccine had a decreased risk of stroke.
- The authors suggest the vaccine's cardiovascular benefits may stem from preventing shingles or from immune and cellular changes induced by the vaccine, though further research is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms.
- Limitations of the study include potential unvalidated diagnoses and limited socioeconomic and lifestyle data, and the findings show association but do not establish causation.
- Previous studies have linked the shingles vaccine to reduced risk and slower progression of dementia, supporting ongoing research into the role of herpes viruses in neurological diseases.
