The Shingles vaccine (Shingrix) may offer a one-two punch: preventing a rash that is often painful for a long time AND reducing the risk of dementia. There have been two recent studies that have shown this potential risk reduction.
The first study followed patients receiving Shingrix for 6 years after the vaccination and reported a 17% reduction in being diagnosed with dementia as compared to a supposed less-effective Zostavax vaccine.
The second study compared the dementia risk reduction of patients receiving Shingrix with those receiving vaccines for illnesses other than shingles. The patients were followed for 5 years post-vaccination and those receiving the Shingrix vaccine had a 20% lower chance of being diagnosed with dementia.
When people develop chicken pox, usually as children, the varicella-zoster virus becomes dormant (goes to sleep) in the nerve root. Decades later the virus is reactivated (or wakes up) and is expressed as shingles (a blistery painful rash in the distribution of that nerve). Currently approximately 98% of the US adult population have had chickenpox at some point in their lives and are at risk for developing shingles. The Shingrix vaccine acts to reduce the reawakening (reactivation) of the herpes virus sleeping in the nerves.
The question then is how does the herpes virus increase risk of dementia. One possibility is that the herpes virus causes an inflammation in the brain that could lead to dementia, explaining why Shingrix may help prevent dementia. It is possible that just how the varicella-zoster virus lies dormant in the nerve roots, it may also lie dormant in the brain. Reactivation would occur when the immune system fails to keep it in check. The damage from the inflammation could potentially lead to dementia.
These results are exciting but further studies need to be done to confirm the benefit for dementia. Nonetheless, the Shingrix vaccine for shingles prevention is recommended for everyone 50 and older and for anyone 19 or older who have compromised immune systems.
BeCare Neuro Link can help screen you for the earliest signs of cognitive impairment that indicate it is time to seek a formal evaluation. This is more important than ever now that new medications are coming onto the market that forestall and even reverse dementia.