𝐆𝐞𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐞𝐬 𝐯𝐚𝐜𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐦𝐚𝐲 𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐨𝐟 𝐝𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚

Shingles occurs in about 1 million Americans each year.  Approximately one in three people experience it at some point during their life, more commonly after the age of 50. Shingles occurs when the chickenpox virus that has been asleep in the nerve cells in the body for decades “wakes up”.  It is generally expressed as a very painful blistering rash that is often heralded by burning or shooting pain, takes weeks to months to resolve and sometimes leaves skin scarring and nerve pain.  The only Shingles vaccine available, called Shyngrix, is 97 percent effective in preventing shingles.

One recent exciting discovery reported in a study conducted in Wales and published in Nature was that Shyngrix reduced the probability of a developing new dementia by 20%. This suggests that the shingles vaccination has the potential to confer long-lasting protection against cognitive decline. A second Australian study revealed similar results and suggested a causal rather than associational effect.  Other vaccinations and health conditions analyzed did not confer this benefit.

This important finding supports the notion that brain health is interrelated with general health.  Viruses and conditions like diabetes and high lipids impact the brain as well as the cardiovascular system and other body systems.  The changes that a person can make in their lifestyle, diet and exercise which can improve brain health can be even more impactful when paired with medical advances such as vaccinations that protect us from dangerous diseases.

BeCareLink can help you by monitoring your brain health and giving you the tools to decide when you need to go for a formal evaluation for suspicion of cognitive decline or to track progress when a treatment is started.