A new study published in Nature Medicine has found that a vaccine against shingles (Herpes Zoster) may delay the onset of dementia. The six-year study monitored approximately 100,000 patients over the age of 65 in the United States who received a new vaccine against the virus, compared to a group that received an older vaccine. The researchers discovered that those who received the new vaccine were diagnosed with dementia nearly six months, or 164 days, later than those who received the older vaccine.
However, they emphasized that further research is necessary to confirm the connection between the vaccine and dementia. 2 View gallery ( Photo: shutterstock ) Between 20% and 50% of people over the age of 60 will develop shingles during their lifetime, often leading to severe pain. Shingles is a viral disease caused by a herpes family virus, which also causes chickenpox.
About 18 years ago, vaccines against shingles were introduced in many countries, and since then, evidence has suggested that the vaccine may help protect against dementia, although there was no conclusive proof. In the current study, researchers from the University of Oxford compared medical records of patients in the United States who received an older vaccine called Zostavax to those who received a newer vaccine called Shingrix. Over a six-year period, researchers found that a similar number of people in both groups developed dementia, but those who received the new vaccine had 17% more time without the diseas.