Sat Apr 05 17:30:00 UTC 2025: ## Shingles Vaccine Shows Promise in Preventing Dementia: Study
**London, April 5, 2025** – A large-scale study published in *Nature* suggests that the shingles vaccine may significantly reduce the risk of dementia. Researchers from Stanford University, leveraging a unique vaccination policy in Wales, found that receiving the herpes zoster vaccine decreased the probability of a new dementia diagnosis by approximately 20% over a seven-year period.
The study, utilizing electronic health data from 282,541 individuals, compared dementia diagnoses between those eligible for the vaccine (born after September 2, 1933) and those ineligible. The researchers exploited a sharp cutoff in vaccine eligibility based on birthdate, minimizing bias by comparing individuals differing in age by only a few weeks. Vaccine uptake varied drastically depending on eligibility, ranging from 0.01% to 47.2% based on birth date alone.
The effect was more pronounced in women than men. However, the researchers emphasize that while the findings are promising and suggest a potential cost-effective preventative measure, further research, specifically a randomized controlled trial, is needed to confirm causality and understand the mechanism of protection. The study highlights a potential link between herpes virus infections and dementia, warranting further investigation into the protective role of the shingles vaccine.
First Piper 