Shingles is a painful skin condition that many people may not know can lead to other serious health problems.
It’s caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays in the body and can become active again later in life. When it does, it causes shingles.
Shingles is more common in older adults. It usually shows up as a rash that can be itchy, sore, and very uncomfortable. But new research shows that the virus can also raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke—especially within the first month after the rash appears.
If shingles affects a certain nerve in your face, the danger is even greater. In this case, your risk of having a stroke may double or even triple. That’s why the shingles vaccine is more important than people might think.
A new study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help protect people not just from the rash but also from heart attacks and strokes. The lead researcher, James Mbinta, says the vaccine could be a big help in keeping people safer during a high-risk time.
To study this, researchers looked at hospital records for people who got the shingles vaccine. They compared the number of heart attacks and strokes in the first 42 days after vaccination to a later period between 72 and 162 days after the shot.
They found that people were less likely to go to the hospital for a heart attack or stroke right after getting the vaccine. This means the vaccine may lower the risk of these serious problems by nearly half in the first six weeks.
The study included data from 278,375 adults in New Zealand who got the shingles vaccine between 2018 and 2021. Most of them were 70 years old or older. This age group may get the most benefit from the vaccine.
Another researcher, Professor Colin Simpson, noted that their findings matched results from a similar study in Australia. That study also showed fewer strokes among adults aged 70 to 79 who got the shingles shot.
This isn’t the first time the shingles vaccine has shown strong health benefits. Earlier work by Mbinta showed that the vaccine also cuts the risk of nerve pain, which can happen after a shingles rash and last for a long time.
One in three people will get shingles at some point in life, and the risk goes up with age. For people over 70, getting vaccinated may not only protect them from a painful rash but also from life-threatening events like heart attacks and strokes.
Like any vaccine, it’s important to weigh the pros and cons. You should talk to your doctor about whether the shingles vaccine is right for you.
In summary, the shingles vaccine may do more than prevent a skin rash. It could help older adults stay safe from heart attacks and strokes in the weeks after getting the shot. That makes it a powerful tool for protecting heart and brain health.
If you care about stroke, please read studies about how to eat to prevent stroke, and diets high in flavonoids could help reduce stroke risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how Mediterranean diet could protect your brain health, and wild blueberries can benefit your heart and brain.
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