New evidence shows free NHS vaccine could slash dementia risk by HALF

The shingles vaccine could reduce the risk of dementia by up to half, fresh research has suggested. 

Currently, the NHS only offers the jab to 65 to 79-year-olds and severely immunocompromised patients over the age of 18. 

But new research, presented by Case Western University at IDWeek in Atlanta, found it could reduce the risk of dementia in adults aged 50 and older. 

The injection, which has previously been found to have cardiovascular benefits to adults of all ages, was associated with a 50 per cent reduced risk of vascular dementia—which is caused by reduced blood flow in the brain—and a 25 per cent reduced risk of heart attack or stroke.  

Shingles—also known as herpes zoster—is a painful rash caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus which lies dormant in the body. 

After the initial infection, the varicella-zoster virus can lay dormant in the nervous system for decades before reactivating, causing shingles in around one in three individuals during their lifetime. 

The infection typically lasts two to four weeks, and those with weakened immune systems are at risk of serious illness due to the virus. 

Varicella-zoster virus can also attack blood vessels in the brain, which may lead to inflammation, and hamper their ability to function properly. 

In the study, which is yet to be published, the researchers studied health records of over 174,000 patients across 107 US health databases. 

Patients were followed up between 3 months and 7 years after their vaccination and monitored for signs of dementia and or cardiovascular problems. 

Study author Dr Ali Dehghani, said: ‘Shingles is more than just a rash—it can raise the risk of serious problems for the heart and brain. 

‘Our study findings show that the shingles vaccines may help lower those risks, especially in people already at higher risk for heart attack or stroke.’ 

The new findings come following the first major global study to comprehensively assess the evidence of a link between the shingles jab and cardiovascular events earlier this year. 

Research presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid in August this year found the injection slashed the risk of heart attack or strike in adults  by 18 per cent. 

The findings came as health services widened access to the vaccine, which was previously only available on the NHS to immunosuppressed patients from 50 years of age, and the standard 65-79 year-olds. 

Professor Bryan Williams, chief scientific officer and medical officer at the British Heart Foundation, who wasn’t involved in the current study, said the surmounting evidence suggests vaccination may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events.

 ‘There is great interest in studies suggesting the shingles vaccine may reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, although this analysis is largely based on observational studies, which cannot demonstrate cause and effect.

‘We know that shingles can cause inflammation in the body, and that inflammation is a culprit in many heart and circulatory conditions which can lead to heart attacks and strokes.

‘By preventing shingles, vaccination could therefore be protective.’

Inflammation is also a culprit in vascular dementia, the second most common form of dementia after Alzheimer’s disease and mixed dementia, thought to affect around 180,000 people in the UK. 

The disease is triggered by high blood pressure, drive up by inflammation, which leads to a reduced blood supply to the brain. 

The brain cells become starved of nutrients and eventually become damaged and die, causing symptoms including cognitive decline, poor memory and lack of concentration. 

Memory problems, thinking and reasoning difficulties and language problems are common early symptoms of dementia, which worsen over time. 

Alzheimer’s Research UK analysis found 74,261 people died from dementia in 2022 compared with 69,178 a year earlier, making it the country’s biggest killer.

Responding to the expanded NHS vaccine programme, Dr Amanda Doyle, national director for primary care and community services at NHS England, said: ‘Shingles can be seriously debilitating for older people and those with a severely weakened immune system.

‘The vaccine is safe and effective and significantly reduces the chances of developing shingles and becoming seriously unwell, so I’d urge anyone newly eligible to come forward for their protection as soon as possible.’ 

During the first three years of the rollout, the NHS predicts there will be 17,000 fewer episodes of shingles. 

IDWeek is the annual meeting of IDSA, the Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America, the HIV Medicine Association, the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society, and the Society of Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.