Most people know the shingles vaccine helps prevent a painful skin rash, but new research suggests it may also protect against heart attacks and strokes.
The findings add to growing evidence that preventing shingles could improve overall health, especially in older adults.
Shingles is caused by the same virus that causes chickenpox. After someone recovers from chickenpox, the virus stays inactive inside nerve cells for many years. As people get older or their immune system becomes weaker, the virus can become active again and cause shingles.
Shingles often causes a painful rash with burning or stabbing pain. In some people, the pain continues for months after the rash disappears.
Researchers have also found that shingles temporarily increases the risk of heart attacks and strokes, especially during the first few weeks after the illness begins. If the virus affects certain nerves in the face, the risk of stroke may become even higher.
A new study examined whether vaccination could reduce these serious complications. Researchers analyzed health records from 278,375 adults in New Zealand who received the shingles vaccine between 2018 and 2021. Most participants were 70 years of age or older, the group most likely to develop shingles.
The team compared hospital admissions during the first 42 days after vaccination with admissions during a later period. They found fewer hospital visits for heart attacks and strokes during the first six weeks after people received the vaccine. The results suggest the vaccine may reduce the risk of these serious events by almost half during that time.
The study was led by James Mbinta, who said the vaccine may offer important health benefits beyond preventing shingles. Another researcher, Professor Colin Simpson, noted that the findings agree with results from a similar Australian study, which also found fewer strokes among vaccinated adults aged 70 to 79.
Previous research by the same team showed that the vaccine also lowers the risk of being hospitalized with long-lasting nerve pain after shingles. This painful condition, called postherpetic neuralgia, is one of the most common complications of the disease and can greatly affect quality of life.
Around one in three people will develop shingles during their lifetime, and the risk rises with age. Although no vaccine is completely free of side effects, the researchers say the benefits of vaccination can be substantial for many older adults. People should speak with their doctor to decide whether the shingles vaccine is suitable for them.
More research is still needed to confirm exactly how the vaccine protects the heart and brain. Even so, the findings suggest that preventing shingles may also lower the risk of dangerous cardiovascular events, giving older adults another reason to consider vaccination.
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