Vaccination against shingles could potentially reduce the risk of heart disease by as many as eight years.
Revamped Article:
50-year-olds and above can get their jabs for shingles, a disease that reactivates the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus causing chickenpox.
Vaccinating against shingles isn't just about avoiding the excruciating rash. It may provide additional health perks, such as a possible drop in heart woes.
Research has pointed to a connection between shingles and chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease, which is why further investigation into the broader effects of shingles vaccination is a must.
Sooji Lee, MD, a researcher at Kyung Hee University Medical Center in South Korea, explained to Medical News Today, "Shingles has traditionally been seen as an infectious disease, but previous studies suggested an association between shingles and chronic conditions like cardiovascular disease. This implies a potential link between infections and chronic diseases."
Lee, the first author of a new study, found that those getting the shingles vaccine experience a 23% lower chance of having cardiovascular events, like heart failure, stroke, or coronary heart disease, with this protective effect lasting for up to eight years following vaccination.
The findings were shared in the European Heart Journal.
Lower Risk Across the Board
For this study, the researchers delved into health records from over a million adults aged 50 or older residing in South Korea. They scrutinized if participants received the live zoster vaccine for shingles, featuring a weakened form of the varicella-zoster virus.
Upon wrapping up the research, the team discovered that individuals who got the shingles vaccine had a 23% lower risk of encountering any cardiovascular event and a 26% lower risk for severe cardiovascular incidents like stroke, heart attack, or death from heart disease.
Moreover, they found that the shingles vaccine diminished a person’s risk for heart failure by 26% and coronary heart disease by 22%.
"The discovery that vaccination decreases cardiovascular risk by 23% even in a previously healthy population emphasizes the potential of shingles vaccination as a preventive measure against heart disease," Lee shared.
How the Vaccine Reduces Risk
Shingles might instigate inflammation in blood vessels, potentially leading to cardiovascular issues. By averting shingles, the vaccine apparently decreases this inflammatory response, thereby lessening the risk of heart ailments.
"The shingles vaccine likely prevents the shingles infection, which in turn curbs the inflammatory response, thereby lowering the risk of heart disease," Lee said.
- Beyond just preventing the painful rash associated with shingles, the vaccine might also offer benefits for cardiovascular health, as suggested by research.
- Shingles, a disease linked to the varicella-zoster virus, has been found to be connected to chronic diseases like cardiovascular disease, according to Sooji Lee, a researcher at Kyung Hee University Medical Center.
- According to a study led by Lee, those who receive the shingles vaccine experience a lower risk of cardiovascular events, like heart failure, stroke, or coronary heart disease, by up to 23%, for up to eight years following vaccination.
- The study, published in the European Heart Journal, found that individuals who got the shingles vaccine had a reduced risk of any cardiovascular event, severe cardiovascular incidents like stroke, heart attack, or death from heart disease.
- The vaccine was also found to decrease a person's risk for heart failure by 26% and coronary heart disease by 22%.
- By preventing shingles infections, the vaccine appears to lessen an individual's risk of heart disease by averting the inflammatory response that shingles might instigate in blood vessels.
- This study underscores the potential of shingles vaccination as a preventive measure not only for shingles but also for heart disease, emphasizing the importance of this medical-condition and health-and-wellness topic in cardiovascular-health discussions, including therapies-and-treatments and nutrition, and even Medicare considerations.
