Shingles is a painful skin condition caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. Many people don’t realize that once you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body, hiding in your nerves. Years later, it can become active again, leading to shingles.
Shingles usually affects older adults and appears as a rash with burning or tingling pain. But recent research has revealed an even bigger concern. When the virus reactivates, it may increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes, especially in the first month after an outbreak.
If shingles affects certain facial nerves, the danger is even greater. In these cases, the risk of stroke can double or even triple. This new understanding highlights the importance of the shingles vaccine—not just to prevent the rash, but to protect heart and brain health as well.
The Shingles Vaccine Could Save Lives
A team of researchers, led by James Mbinta, believes the shingles vaccine could play a crucial role in reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Their study looked at hospitalization records from 278,375 adults in New Zealand who received the vaccine between 2018 and 2021. Most participants were 70 years or older.
The researchers compared hospitalizations in the first 42 days after vaccination with those 72 to 162 days later. They found that fewer people were hospitalized for heart attacks and strokes in the first six weeks after getting the vaccine. This suggests that the vaccine may cut the risk of these serious health events nearly in half during that early period.
Supporting Evidence from Other Studies
Professor Colin Simpson, another researcher on the team, pointed out that their results matched similar findings from Australia, where studies showed that people aged 70 to 79 who received the shingles vaccine had a lower risk of strokes.
This isn’t the first study to highlight the benefits of the shingles vaccine. Previous research by Mbinta showed that vaccination reduces hospitalizations due to nerve pain, a common and painful complication of shingles.
Why This Matters for Older Adults
About one in three people will experience shingles at some point, and the risk increases with age. For adults over 70, getting the shingles vaccine may provide more than just protection from a painful rash—it could also lower the risk of life-threatening heart and brain conditions.
As with any vaccine, it’s important to consider both benefits and risks. Talk to your healthcare provider to see if the shingles vaccine is right for you.
By reducing the chance of heart attacks and strokes in the critical weeks after vaccination, the shingles vaccine could be a valuable tool for protecting older adults’ overall health.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
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