The list of benefits from the shingles vaccine keeps growing. In addition to protecting against the virus and its painful rash, the shot has already been linked to a lower risk of dementia. Now, according to Fox News, a new study suggests it may also protect the heart.
Researchers in South Korea analyzed health records from over 1.2 million people aged 50 and older for up to 12 years. They found that those who received the shingles vaccine had a 23% lower risk of heart problems, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary artery disease. The heart benefits lasted for up to eight years. People under 60 saw the biggest benefit, likely due to a stronger immune response. The positive effect was also more noticeable in men and in those with unhealthy habits like smoking, drinking, or being inactive.
The study was published Tuesday in the European Heart Journal.
According to the Mayo Clinic, shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful rash. It can appear anywhere on the body but often shows up as a stripe of blisters on one side of the torso. Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus—the same virus that causes chickenpox. After you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and can reactivate years later as shingles. Getting the shingles vaccine can help prevent this from happening.
Without vaccination, around 30% of people are likely to develop shingles at some point in their lives, according to Professor Dong Keon Yon of Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in Seoul. Because shingles has also been linked to an increased risk of heart issues, Yon and his team set out to explore whether the vaccine might help reduce that risk. “Our study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help lower the risk of heart disease, even in people without known risk factors. This means that vaccination could offer health benefits beyond preventing shingles,” Professor Yon stated per Fox News.
“A shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation and clot formation that can lead to heart disease,” Yon said. “By preventing shingles, vaccination may lower these risks.”
There are some limitations of this study. Cardiologist Dalawari explained to Fox News that the study used a live shingles vaccine, while the U.S. uses Shingrix, a non-live (recombinant) version. Shingrix is more than 90% effective at preventing shingles, compared to 51% for the live vaccine. The live vaccine includes a weakened form of the virus that causes shingles. The study involved 1.2 million people over age 50, all from a single ethnic group in Asia. Dalawari noted that including a more diverse population would help determine if the results apply to other ethnic groups as well.
