Shingles is a painful illness that becomes more common as people get older. It is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox.
After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays quietly inside the body’s nerve cells and can become active again many years later, leading to shingles.
When shingles appears, it usually causes a painful rash that can last for weeks. Some people also develop long-lasting nerve pain after the rash goes away. In addition to these problems, scientists have found that shingles may temporarily raise the risk of serious health conditions such as heart attacks and strokes.
Earlier studies have shown that the risk of a heart attack or stroke is highest during the first month after shingles begins. If the virus affects certain nerves in the face, the risk of stroke may even double or triple. This has made researchers interested in whether preventing shingles could also help protect the heart and brain.
A recent study suggests the shingles vaccine may do exactly that. Researchers found that people who received the vaccine were less likely to be hospitalized for heart attacks or strokes shortly after vaccination. The findings add to growing evidence that vaccines may protect against more than just infections.
The research was led by James Mbinta and included 278,375 adults in New Zealand who received the shingles vaccine between 2018 and 2021. Most participants were over the age of 70, which is the group most likely to develop shingles.
The team compared hospital records during two different time periods. They looked at the first 42 days after vaccination and then compared them with a later period between 72 and 162 days after vaccination. This allowed the researchers to see whether the risk of heart attacks and strokes changed after people received the vaccine.
The results were encouraging. Hospital admissions for heart attacks and strokes were much lower during the first six weeks after vaccination. The researchers estimated that the vaccine reduced the risk of these serious events by about 50% during this period.
The findings are supported by earlier research from Australia, where scientists also found fewer strokes among vaccinated adults aged 70 to 79. Together, the studies suggest that the vaccine may provide important health benefits beyond preventing shingles itself.
The shingles vaccine was already known to lower the risk of postherpetic neuralgia, a painful nerve condition that can continue long after the rash disappears. The new research suggests it may also help reduce dangerous problems affecting the heart and brain, making it even more valuable for older adults.
About one in three people will develop shingles at some point in their lives, and the risk increases with age because the immune system becomes weaker over time. Preventing shingles may therefore help many older people avoid both the illness and some of its serious complications.
The researchers say people should still discuss vaccination with their healthcare provider because the benefits and risks can vary from person to person. However, the results provide another reason for older adults to consider getting vaccinated.
The study was published in Nature Communications. The findings highlight how vaccines can play a wider role in protecting long-term health and could help reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes in older adults.
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