A recent study published in the European Heart Journal suggests that getting a vaccine for shingles could significantly reduce the risk of heart problems. The research included over one million people aged 50 and older living in South Korea.
According to the findings, people who received the shingles vaccine had a 23% lower chance of experiencing major cardiovascular events like stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease. The protective effect of the vaccine was found to last up to eight years, with the strongest benefits seen in the first two to three years after vaccination.
The study was led by Professor Dong Keon Yon from Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea. He explained that shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash and can lead to serious health issues, especially in older adults and people with weakened immune systems.
Past research has shown that around 30% of people may develop shingles during their lifetime if they are not vaccinated. Along with the painful rash, shingles has also been linked to an increased risk of heart problems. This connection motivated the research team to explore whether vaccination could help prevent these complications.
The study collected health data from 1,271,922 people, starting from 2012. The researchers tracked whether individuals received the shingles vaccine and monitored their heart health. They also looked at factors like age, gender, lifestyle, and economic status, which could influence health outcomes.
The shingles vaccine used in the study was a live zoster vaccine, which contains a weakened form of the virus that causes shingles. In many countries, this vaccine is now being replaced by a newer, non-live version called a recombinant vaccine.
This new type of vaccine contains a protein from the virus rather than the live virus itself. The researchers plan to study whether the recombinant version has the same heart-protective benefits.
The results showed that people who were vaccinated had a 23% lower risk of overall cardiovascular events. They were 26% less likely to experience major heart problems like stroke or heart attacks, 26% less likely to develop heart failure, and 22% less likely to suffer from coronary heart disease.
The vaccine seemed to be especially effective for men, people under 60, and those with unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, or not exercising.
Professor Yon explained that there are several reasons why the shingles vaccine might reduce the risk of heart disease. When someone gets shingles, the virus can damage blood vessels and cause inflammation.
This inflammation can trigger blood clots, which increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. By preventing the shingles infection in the first place, the vaccine may help protect blood vessels and reduce these risks.
Interestingly, the study found that younger people seemed to benefit more from the vaccine’s protective effects. This might be because their immune systems respond better to the vaccine. Men also showed stronger protection, which could be due to differences in how their bodies respond to the vaccine.
The study is one of the largest of its kind, tracking a healthy population over a period of up to 12 years. The researchers were able to study the connection between the shingles vaccine and 18 different types of heart disease. They also accounted for various health conditions, lifestyle choices, and economic backgrounds, making the findings more reliable.
However, Professor Yon pointed out that since the study focused on an Asian population, the results may not apply to everyone. The live zoster vaccine, which was used in the study, is not suitable for everyone, such as people with very weak immune systems.
More research is needed to understand whether the newer recombinant vaccine has similar benefits in preventing heart disease. Also, because this study is observational, it cannot prove that the vaccine directly prevents heart problems. Other hidden factors might have influenced the results, and the researchers acknowledge this limitation.
Despite these uncertainties, the findings suggest that shingles vaccination could offer more than just protection against the painful rash. It may also help lower the risk of heart problems, providing an extra reason for people to consider getting vaccinated.
Further studies, particularly on the recombinant vaccine, could help confirm these benefits and make the case for wider use of shingles vaccines as part of heart disease prevention strategies.
If you care about heart disease, please read studies about a big cause of heart failure, and common blood test could advance heart failure treatment.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies about a new way to repair human heart, and results showing drinking coffee may help reduce heart failure risk.
The research findings can be found in the European Heart Journal.
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