New research suggests the NHS shingles vaccine cuts the risk of stroke and could prevent tens of thousands of deaths. Oxford University researchers compared the risk of heart failure, stroke or ischemic heart disease - where narrowed or blocked heart arteries reduce blood flow and oxygen to the heart - over seven years in people given the jab for the virus.
Study of 70,000 people
Researchers studied a database of 70,000 Americans for seven years and found those vaccinated had a 12% increase in time living stroke free. Those who had received a shingles jab also lived 9% longer without developing a cardiovascular disease, 10% longer without ischaemic heart disease and 12% longer without heart failure. The NHS currently offers the Shingrix vaccine for people aged 65 to 79.
Potential to save tens of thousands of lives
Dr Maxime Taquet, associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at Oxford, who led the study, said that if everyone over 60 in the UK was vaccinated the number of deaths prevented could be in the tens of thousands. The findings, which are published in the journal Nature Medicine, come after Shingrix was linked to a delay in the onset of dementia. Dr Taquet told a media briefing that Shingrix "might be the first vaccine that protects the heart and the brain".
He said: "We found that Shingrix appears to protect against cardiovascular disease in both women and men, and we found that the protective association was most pronounced for ischemic heart disease and heart failure."
How the vaccine works
Shingles is caused by the herpes zoster virus - which causes chickenpox - flaring up again. It can reoccur for years and often develops in older adults. Treatment for shingles can also include medicines to help relieve pain, such as painkillers, steroid tablets or medicines that help with nerve pain.
The NHS previously used a vaccine called Zostavax, but this was replaced by Shingrix almost three years ago. Shingrix is a non-live vaccine, made from a specific protein found on the surface of the virus that causes the illness, making it safer for people with weakened immune systems. Anyone over 18 with a weakened immune system can get the Shingrix vaccine on the NHS.
The research team analysed data from more than 70,000 people on the TriNetX electronic health records network in the US, which switched from Zostavax to Shingrix in October 2017. There were 36,000 patients in each group and all were over the age of 60. Researchers suspect the protective benefit of vaccination is because the shingles virus may increase the risk of heart diseases.
Prof Paul Harrison, of Oxford University, said: "By inhibiting the virus, the vaccine could reduce this [heart] risk. Alternatively, the vaccine also contains chemicals which might have separate beneficial effects on the heart."
A 2024 study found the jab was linked to a 17% drop in dementia diagnoses in the six years after vaccination with Zostavax.
