Shingles Vaccine Lowers Heart Attack and Stroke Risk in Older Adults
- A Shingrix shingles vaccination significantly reduces cardiovascular risks for adults aged 60 and older, according to research published in the journal Nature.
- Researchers analyzed health data from 70,000 individuals aged 60 and older to observe how cardiovascular risks evolved over a seven-year period following their first and second doses of...
- Maxime Taquet, a lecturer at the University of Oxford who led the research, discussed the broader implications with the British publication The Guardian.
A Shingrix shingles vaccination significantly reduces cardiovascular risks for adults aged 60 and older, according to research published in the journal Nature. Researchers tracking 70,000 health records found that the vaccine lowers the incidence of heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes during the years immediately following inoculation.
Cardiovascular Risk Reduction Findings From Nature Study
Researchers analyzed health data from 70,000 individuals aged 60 and older to observe how cardiovascular risks evolved over a seven-year period following their first and second doses of the shingles vaccine. The study tracked incidents of heart attacks, heart failure, and strokes among the participants. Results show that Shingrix was associated with a twelve-percent reduction in these cardiovascular events during the first three and a half years after vaccination. That protective effect gradually diminished over time. By the end of the full observation period, the vaccine was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. While those percentages appear modest at first glance, the study authors note that the public health impact on older adults could prove substantial.
Potential Global Health Implications
Maxime Taquet, a lecturer at the University of Oxford who led the research, discussed the broader implications with the British publication The Guardian.
Sollte sich dies in klinischen Studien bestätigen, könnte die Impfung älterer Erwachsener gegen Gürtelrose weltweit Hunderttausende von koronaren Herzkrankheiten, Schlaganfällen und Herzinsuffizienzfällen verhindern. Damit wäre sie eine der wirksamsten Maßnahmen, die wir zum Schutz von Gehirn und Herz im höheren Alter anbieten könnten. Der Effekt könnte enorm sein.
Maxime Taquet
That statement translates to the expectation that if clinical trials confirm the findings, vaccinating older adults against shingles could prevent hundreds of thousands of cases of coronary heart disease, strokes, and heart failure worldwide. Taquet characterizes the vaccine as potentially one of the most effective tools available for protecting the heart and brain in later life.
Underlying Biological Mechanisms
Scientists are examining two primary hypotheses to explain why the shingles vaccine yields this protective cardiovascular side effect. One possibility is that contracting shingles actively increases a person’s risk for cardiovascular disease, meaning the vaccine simply prevents that elevated risk from occurring. Alternatively, researchers suggest that the vaccine might exert broader effects on the human immune system. Specifically, the inoculation could suppress inflammation-promoting proteins.