By Joke Kujenya
REDUCED RISK of dementia has been linked to shingles vaccination following a large-scale study by researchers at the University of Oxford examining long term health outcomes among older adults.
The findings were published in the journal Nature Medicine and drawn from an analysis of electronic medical records covering 100 million Americans aged 50 and above who had no prior diagnosis of dementia.
Researchers tracked participants for an average of nine years to assess dementia incidence in relation to shingles infection and vaccination status.
The study found that individuals who experienced shingles two or more times had a higher likelihood of developing dementia as the researchers reported a 7 to 9 percent increased risk among those with repeated shingles infections compared with individuals who contracted the virus only once.
In contrast, the noted that participants who received shingles vaccines showed a significantly lower incidence of dementia.
Also, the study reported a 27 to 30 percent reduction in dementia cases among vaccinated individuals, whether they received live attenuated vaccines or recombinant protein vaccines.
The protective effect was stronger among participants who received two or more doses of the vaccine and researchers noted they observed that the benefits persisted for up to ten years following vaccination.
Scientists involved in the study further explained that the shingles virus, also known as herpes zoster, can invade spinal nerves and reactivate without symptoms.
Once inside the nervous system, the virus may trigger latent herpes simplex viruses, they warned.
They further said this process can lead to increased levels of beta amyloid and hyperphosphorylated tau proteins, both of which are associated with the development of dementia.
Their study also highlighted that shingles vaccination offers protection beyond preventing the painful blistering lesions and nerve damage commonly associated with the disease adding that the findings demonstrate a measurable reduction in long term dementia risk.
Conclusively, the researchers said the results provide strong evidence supporting wider vaccine coverage among older adults and noted that shingles vaccination could play a role in broader public health strategies aimed at reducing the burden of dementia alongside preventing it.
