Shingles is a painful skin condition that many people don’t know much about. It’s caused by the same virus that leads to chickenpox.
After someone has chickenpox, the virus stays in their body, hiding quietly. Years later, it can come back and cause shingles. This happens more often in older adults.
Shingles usually shows up as a painful rash. But there’s more to worry about than just the rash. A recent study has found that shingles could also raise your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, especially in the first month after the rash appears.
If the shingles virus comes back in a certain facial nerve, the danger is even greater. In those cases, the chance of having a stroke may double or even triple. This is why doctors are now looking more seriously at the shingles vaccine.
The vaccine doesn’t just help prevent the itchy, painful rash. It might also protect people from having heart attacks and strokes shortly after getting the shot. A research team, led by James Mbinta, studied this in detail.
They checked hospital records from people who got the shingles vaccine and compared what happened in the first 42 days after the shot to what happened between 72 and 162 days later.
They found fewer hospital visits for heart attacks and strokes in the first six weeks after people got the vaccine. This suggests the vaccine could lower the risk of these serious problems by about half during that time.
The study looked at data from 278,375 adults in New Zealand who got the shingles vaccine between 2018 and 2021. Most of the people were 70 years old or older. This shows the vaccine may be especially helpful for older adults.
Another researcher on the team, Professor Colin Simpson, said that these results matched those from a similar study in Australia. That study also showed fewer strokes in people aged 70 to 79 who had received the vaccine.
This isn’t the first time scientists have found health benefits linked to the shingles vaccine. Previous research led by Mbinta found that the vaccine also lowers the risk of nerve pain, which is a serious and painful problem that can happen after shingles.
One out of every three people will get shingles in their lifetime. The risk increases as people get older. So for people in their 70s and beyond, the shingles vaccine could help not only protect against a painful rash, but also guard against much more dangerous health problems like heart attacks and strokes.
As with any medical decision, it’s important to talk to your doctor about whether the shingles vaccine is right for you. They can help weigh the benefits and any possible risks based on your personal health.
In summary, the shingles vaccine may be more powerful than we thought. It could protect your skin, your heart, and your brain—especially in the weeks right after vaccination. For older adults, this vaccine might be a smart step toward better health.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about a new cause of heart rhythm disorders and eating just one cup of nitrate-rich vegetables daily can reduce heart disease risk.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about blood thinners that may not prevent stroke in people with heartbeat problems and this diabetes drug may protect heart health in older veterans.
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