Shingles vaccine may lower dementia, stroke, heart attack risks

A growing body of evidence suggests the shingles vaccine may also lower the risk of dementia, stroke, and heart attack.

Shingles: what you need to know

Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. If you've had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and can reactivate later in life as shingles at any age, though most commonly after 50.

While caused by the same virus, shingles and chickenpox are not the same illness. They present differently because, while chickenpox is the initial infection, if and when the virus reactivates, it travels along nerve pathways to the skin, producing shingles.

Pain is typically the first symptom, followed by sensitivity to touch, itching, and a red rash and blisters. People may also experience fever, headache, sensitivity, and fatigue. Symptoms typically target one or two areas of skin.

About 1-4% of people with shingles are hospitalized for complications. Older adults and people with suppressed immune systems are at higher risk of severe cases.

Vaccine fatigue hampers shingles immunization

Despite shingles being a common condition, affecting one in three people in the US, vaccine rates remain low – about 35% of adults over 60.