WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A new study, published in Annals of Internal Medicine, suggests that the current shingles vaccine, Shingrix, may also lower the risk of developing dementia in older adults.
'A lot of previous studies with similar results focused on an older vaccine,' said study author Kaley Hayes, an assistant professor at Brown University's School of Public Health. 'This study looks at the newest vaccine only in an older, vulnerable adult population who were not up to date with shingles vaccination and are at a very clear clinical point in care: entering a skilled nursing facility.'
Researchers from Brown, the University of Delaware, the Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center and other institutions analyzed Medicare data and health records from more than 500,000 adults aged 66 and older who were admitted to more than 5,500 skilled nursing facilities across the U.S. between 2017 and 2022. They compared people who received at least one dose of the Shingrix vaccine with those who were not vaccinated.
Of the 509,926 people included in the study, only 8,843 had received the shingles vaccine. After four years of follow-up, dementia was diagnosed in 18.8% of vaccinated participants, compared with 24.6% of those who were not vaccinated.
'Our cognition is so tied to our overall health and what happens to us physically,' Hayes commented. 'It's really amazing to see that something that's supposed to prevent a physical ailment can also help keep our brain healthy, too.'
However, the study cannot prove that the shingles vaccine itself caused the lower rate of dementia. People who received the vaccine were generally slightly younger and healthier than those who did not. The researchers adjusted their analysis for these differences, but further studies, including clinical trials, will be needed to confirm the findings.
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