Data Shows Herpes Zoster Vaccination Likely Prevents Dementia
Shingle vaccination is recommended for adults 50 years and older and for adults 19 years and older who have a weakened immune system due to disease therapy.
Multiple studies have shown the effects of a herpes zoster vaccination and the effects on preventing or delaying dementia. In a study published in JAMA, evidence suggests that the beneficial effects of vaccination to prevent or delay dementia are more likely to be causal than the existing correlational evidence.1
Shingle vaccination is recommended for adults 50 years and older and for adults 19 years and older who have a weakened immune system due to disease therapy. | Image Credit: Sherry Young - stock.adobe.com
Herpes zoster, also known as shingles, is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, known to cause chickenpox. The infection causes a painful rash and blisters across the skin, with approximately 1 million cases reported in the US every year, according to the Cleveland Clinic. The infection reactivates in about 10% of patients who previously had chickenpox at another point in their lives.2
In a study published in Nature earlier in April, data showed a reduction in the probability of a new dementia diagnosis by approximately 20%. The investigators believed that the protective effects could be due to change in health care pathways, reduction in reactivation of varicella zoster virus, and varicella zoster virus-independent immunomodulatory effects. In another study, herpes zoster was associated with a higher long-term risk of subjective cognitive decline.3,4
Further, investigators found that the risk was different for patients who carried APOE ε4, particularly in men. The investigators of this study found that a herpes zoster diagnosis was associated with approximately a 20% higher risk of long-term cognitive decline.4
Investigators in the current study aimed to determine the effects of herpes zoster vaccination on the probability of a new diagnosis of dementia, further building on the data from a quasi-experiment in Wales. Vaccination to individuals aged 70 to 79 years starting November 1, 2016. The primary health care records were analyzed from 65 practices across Australia.1
The sample included 101,219 patients, with 52.7% being women and a mean age of years as of November 1, 2016. Investigators found that there was an increase of 16.4 percentage points (95% CI, 13.2-19.5; P < .001) in probability for patients who received the herpes zoster vaccination for those born shortly before November 2, 1936, compared with those born shortly after the date-of-birth eligibility. The eligibility for the vaccination did decrease the probability of a new diagnosis during 7.4 years by 1.8 percentage points (95% CI, 0.4-3.3 percentage points; P = .01), according to the investigators.1
Shingle vaccination is recommended for adults 50 years and older and for adults 19 years and older who have a weakened immune system due to disease therapy, according to the CDC. The schedule is 2 doses separated by 2 to 6 months for patients 50 years and older and 2 doses that can be separated by 1 to 2 months after the first, if needed, for patients 19 years and older. Approximately 1 in 3 patients will have shingles, with the risk increasing with age, so vaccination is critical.5
READ MORE: Immunization Resource Center
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