Can shingles vaccine prevent dementia? Here's what experts think

Shingles, a viral infection that causes a painful rash on the skin, is caused by varicella-zoster virus. The same virus is known to cause chicken pox as well. 

Doctors recommend adults aged 50 and above and for people 19 and older who have an impaired immune system, to take a vaccine to prevent shingles. 

But why are we discussing about shingles vaccine for dementia prevention? A recent article by Harvard Medical School discussed an unexpected benefit that the shingles vaccine might provide. 

What is Dementia?

According to Mayo Clinic, Dementia is a term used to describe a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities. Dementia isn't one specific disease. Several diseases can cause dementia. Dementia generally involves memory loss. It's often one of the early symptoms of the condition. Alzheimer's disease is the most common cause of dementia in older adults, but there are other causes of dementia.

It is estimated that nine million people in the US have dementia. The number is expected to double by 2060, primarily because of the ageing population and in most cases, no highly effective treatments are available. 

Shingles vaccination to the rescue?

As per the article by Harvard Medical School, a study of more than 300,000 adults found that among those 70 and older, dementia was less common among those who had received shingles vaccination than among those who did not.

Another study of more than 200,000 older adults compared rates of dementia between those receiving a newer (recombinant) shingles vaccine and those who had an older (live) vaccine that is no longer approved in the US. 

Researchers found that the risk of dementia was lower six years after receiving either vaccine. But the effect was larger for the newer vaccine: those given the recombinant vaccine spent more time living dementia-free (164 days longer) compared with those given the older vaccine, mentioned the article. 

A recently published article in the journal Nature explored the option of shingles vaccine for dementia prevention as well. 

Robert H. Shmerling, MD, Senior Faculty Editor, Harvard Health Publishing, writes as to why might the shingles vaccine prevent dementia. Some reasons that could possibly explain how a shingles vaccine might reduce the risk of dementia include the reduction in inflammation, lesser stroke risk and alteration of immune function, in a way that protects against dementia. 

Further studies are required to understand and provide more insights into how the condition can be prevented and treated. 

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