Shingles Vaccine May Offer Major Secondary Health Benefits, Study Finds
The shingles vaccine, designed to prevent shingles—a painful rash caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (herpes zoster)—may also provide unexpected health benefits, according to new research.
Scientists at Case Western Reserve University have found a potential connection between the shingles vaccine and a lower risk of developing vascular dementia.
In addition, the vaccine has been linked to a significant reduction in cardiovascular events and overall mortality among adults aged 50 and older.
The findings were presented last week at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta during IDWeek 2025, the annual joint meeting of the nation’s leading infectious disease societies.
The research team analyzed medical records from 174,000 U.S. adults, tracking participants from three months up to seven years after vaccination. Those who received the shingles vaccine were found to have roughly half the risk of developing vascular dementia compared to those who were unvaccinated.
Shingles Vaccine Linked to Lower Risks of Dementia, Heart Disease, and Death, Study Suggests
The shingles vaccine, designed to prevent shingles—a painful rash caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (herpes zoster)—may also deliver significant secondary health benefits, according to new research.
In a recent study, researchers found that individuals who received the vaccine had a 25% lower risk of heart attack or stroke, a 27% lower risk of blood clots, and a 21% lower risk of death, according to a news release from the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA).
“Our study findings show that the shingles vaccine may help lower those risks, especially in people already at higher risk for heart attack or stroke,” said Dr. Ali Dehghani, an internal medicine specialist at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine in Cleveland, Ohio, who presented the research at IDWeek 2025.
Shingles itself is a red, blistering, and often intensely painful rash caused by the reactivation of the same virus responsible for chickenpox.
Shingles Vaccine May Offer Broader Health Protection, Experts Say
Shingles is a red, blistering, and often painful rash caused by the reactivation of the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the varicella-zoster virus remains dormant in the body and can reactivate years later, leading to shingles, health experts told Fox News Digital.
The condition has been linked to cardiovascular and neurological complications, according to previous research. Shingles affects one in three Americans, and more than 99% of those born before 1980 have had chickenpox, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports.
“Shingles is more than just a rash — it can raise the risk of serious problems for the heart and brain,” said Dr. Ali Dehghani, the study’s presenting author, in a news release.
Experts say the latest findings build on earlier research suggesting that the shingles vaccine may not only prevent the painful illness but also help protect against related health complications.
“This very interesting study supports prior evidence that the shingles vaccine may offer several benefits for overall health — including a reduced risk of dementia — in addition to preventing the very painful and common illness known as shingles,” said Dr. Aaron Glatt, a spokesperson for the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) and a board-certified infectious disease physician at Mount Sinai South Nassau in Oceanside, New York.
However, Glatt, who was not involved in the study, cautioned that while the findings are “very exciting and potentially clinically important,” more research is needed to determine whether these benefits are directly caused by the vaccine itself.
The vaccine has also been linked to a significant reduction in cardiovascular events and overall mortality among adults aged 50 and older.
According to researchers, there are several possible biological mechanisms that could explain this association, including reduced inflammation following vaccination.
While additional studies are needed to confirm these findings, Dr. Aaron Glatt noted that “it is very comforting to know that the shingles vaccine is certainly associated with overall significant health benefits beyond its intended purpose.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) currently recommends two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) to prevent shingles and its related complications in adults aged 50 and older, as well as in adults aged 19 and older who are or will become immunodeficient or immunosuppressed.
