Vaccination against shingles could potentially diminish the likelihood of heart disease by as much as eight years.
Get Your Shingles Vaccine: It Could Lower Your Heart Risks
why aging adults should consider getting the shingles vaccine. Not only does it guard against shingles, but it might also provide you with a 23% lower chance of experiencing cardiovascular events, such as heart failure, strokes, and coronary heart disease.
Round the globe, approximately one out of three people will develop shingles - a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox. The good news is that adults ages 50 and over can be vaccinated against shingles. But did you know that the vaccine offers more benefits than just shingles protection?
Previous studies show that, apart from guarding against shingles, the vaccine may also provide other health benefits. For instance, it may help decrease your risk of experiencing cardiovascular diseases and heart conditions.
"Shingles was often considered an infectious disease," said Sooji Lee, MD, researcher in the Center for Digital Health at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in South Korea. In a recent study, Lee was the first author to find that people who receive the shingles vaccine have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, with this protective benefit lasting for up to eight years following vaccination.
Lee's team analyzed medical data from over 1.2 million adults aged 50 and over in South Korea from 2012 onwards. They determined whether or not participants received the live zoster vaccine for shingles, which contains a weakened form of the varicella-zoster virus.
At the end of the study, researchers found that participants who received the shingles vaccine had a 23% lesser chance of experiencing any cardiovascular events. They also had a 26% lower risk for major cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart attack, or death from heart disease.
In addition, the vaccine lowered a person's risk for heart failure by 26% and coronary heart disease by 22%.
"The finding that vaccination was associated with a 23% reduction in heart disease risk in a previously healthy population highlights the potential of shingles vaccination as a preventive measure against heart disease," added Lee.
Sooji Lee further stated, "Shingles can trigger inflammation in blood vessels, potentially leading to cardiovascular events. By preventing the shingles infection, the vaccine likely reduces this inflammatory response, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease."
Lee's team found that the cardiovascular protective effects of the shingles vaccine last for as long as eight years. The strongest protection is observed in the first two to three years post-vaccination.
"This suggests that the shingles vaccine provides a long-term protective effect on heart health, with the most significant benefits observed in the first two to three years post-vaccination," Lee explained. "Given that recombinant shingles vaccines are now more widely used and have shown higher effectiveness, our next step is to study their potential impact on cardiovascular outcomes."
This study was recently published in the European Heart Journal. While this study has significant implications, as it is based on an Asian cohort, the results may not apply to all populations worldwide.
Cheng-Han Chen, MD, a board-certified interventional cardiologist, and medical director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical Center in Laguna Hills, CA, commented on this study, "These results highlight the significant morbidity and mortality that is associated with shingles and should further drive our efforts to vaccinate as many eligible patients as possible."
Vaccination against varicella-zoster can decrease the risk of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. The shingles vaccine, by preventing the virus, would thus decrease the risk of heart disease.
"Research on the shingles vaccine can help us better understand and reduce the health effects of varicella-zoster infection," Chen added. "This study was performed specifically in an Asian population. Further research will be needed to confirm whether the findings are applicable to a wider demographic."
While this study provides compelling evidence for the cardiovascular benefits of the shingles vaccine, more research is necessary to elucidate the specific pathways involved. However, this study has strengthened the case for the heart-related benefits of the vaccine.
In conclusion, get your shingles vaccine to not only avoid shingles but also potentially lower your risk of cardiovascular diseases. Protect your heart by protecting yourself against shingles. After all, prevention is better than cure.
- The shingles vaccine, apart from protecting against shingles, might also decrease your risk of experiencing various cardiovascular events by 23%.
- A study by Sooji Lee discovered that adults who receive the shingles vaccine have a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, including heart failure, strokes, and coronary heart disease.
- The vaccine's cardiovascular protective effects last for up to eight years, with the most significant benefits observed in the first two to three years post-vaccination.
- Shingles can trigger inflammation in blood vessels, potentially leading to cardiovascular events, and the vaccine likely reduces this inflammatory response, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease.
- Vaccination against varicella-zoster can potentially decrease the risk of cardiovascular conditions such as heart attack, stroke, and heart failure.
- More research is necessary to elucidate the specific pathways involved in the cardiovascular benefits of the shingles vaccine, but this study has strengthened the case for the heart-related benefits of the vaccine.
- Given that recombinant shingles vaccines are now more widely used and have shown higher effectiveness, further research is needed to study their potential impact on cardiovascular outcomes.
- In an Asian cohort, the study found that participants who received the shingles vaccine had a 23% lesser chance of experiencing any cardiovascular events.
- This study's findings may not apply to all populations worldwide, so further research will be needed to confirm whether the benefits are applicable to a wider demographic.
