Can the shingles vaccine lower your risk of dementia?

Scientists may have found new insight into dementia prevention: the live shingles vaccine.   

A research study conducted by Stanford Medicine found those who received the live shingles vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who didn’t receive the vaccine. A follow-up study suggests the same vaccine helped slow dementia progression in those already diagnosed.   

While this study offers a lot of promise, experts caution that the findings aren’t definitive. More research is needed to know if this will truly help people with dementia. 

“We need more data to confirm if this is merely a coincidence or truly preventive in nature,” says Dr. Jigar Mankad, a neurologist at Aurora Health Care. “For example, it would be important to learn if there was a similar finding in patients who received only the pneumococcal vaccine. It would also be important to know if a similar finding was noted in those patients who continue to follow up with their primary care provider on a regular basis or not.”

Because the study relied on reviewing past medical records, it can only identify an association between the vaccine and dementia risk. It doesn’t prove the vaccine itself protects the brain.

Dr. Mankad also notes that many people who get vaccinated are more proactive about their health, which is linked to a lower risk of cognitive decline.

“Patients who are proactive and more vigilant about their health are often the ones who continue to have regular follow-up appointments and stay on track with preventive care after age 65,” Dr. Mankad says.

The study also supports the long-standing theory that your immune health plays an important role in the brain.    

“The immune system definitely has a strong connection with brain health,” Dr. Mankad says. “Chronic, low-grade inflammation can also promote cognitive decline as well as the development of neurodegenerative diseases.”

However, this correlation does not mean that shingles, a varicella zoster virus related to chickenpox, causes dementia.

“So far, viral infection with herpes or zoster viruses is not strongly connected to the development of dementia unless the virus invaded the brain and did significant damage by causing meningitis or encephalitis,” Dr. Mankad clarifies.

If you’re not familiar with shingles, it’s a painful, blistering rash often affecting people over the age of 50. Those who’ve had chickenpox are more susceptible to shingles later in life since chickenpox stays dormant in the body even after recovering.   

The live vaccine reviewed in the study is no longer the preferred option to prevent shingles today. Instead, experts recommend the modernized zoster vaccine, which is more effective at preventing shingles when compared to the live vaccine.

Want to learn more about your dementia risk? Find a doctor in or Illinois or Wisconsin.