Shingles vaccine reduces cardiovascular risk by 23%, study says
The shingles vaccine reduces the risk of cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease, by 23%, according to a study of more than a million people published in the European Heart Journal on Tuesday (6).
According to the study , the protective effect offered by the vaccine lasts up to eight years and is greater in men, people under 60 and with unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking, drinking alcohol and being sedentary.
Shingles is a disease caused by the varicella-zoster virus, the same virus responsible for chickenpox . It is characterized by a rash that lasts two to four weeks.
“Shingles causes painful rashes and can lead to serious complications, especially in the elderly and people with weak immune systems. Previous research shows that without vaccination, about 30 percent of people may develop shingles in their lifetime,” says Dong Keon Yon, of the Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea.
“In addition to the rash, shingles has been linked to an increased risk of heart problems, so we wanted to find out if vaccination could reduce this risk.”
The study included 1,271,922 people aged 50 and older living in South Korea. The researchers collected data from 2012 on shingles vaccination and combined this data with information on their cardiovascular health and data on other factors that may influence health, such as age, sex, wealth and lifestyle.
The vaccine tested was a live zoster virus vaccine, meaning it contained a weakened form of the varicella-zoster virus, which causes shingles. In many countries, this type of vaccine is being replaced by a non-live recombinant vaccine, meaning it contains a protein from the varicella-zoster virus.
According to the study, people who received the vaccine had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events overall, with a 26% lower risk of major cardiovascular events, such as stroke, heart attack or death from heart disease. In addition, they had a 26% lower risk of heart failure and a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease.
The protective effect was strongest in the two to three years after the shingles vaccine was administered, but the researchers found that protection lasted for up to eight years.
“Our study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help reduce the risk of heart disease, even in people with no known risk factors. This means that vaccination may offer health benefits beyond preventing shingles,” Yon said.
What is the possible relationship?Shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation and clot formation, all of which are risk factors for heart disease . Preventing the disease can reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, researchers say.
The authors also say the study found more significant benefits in younger people, which may be related to a better immune response, and in men, possibly due to differences in vaccine efficacy.
Despite the findings, the study was conducted with Asian participants and, therefore, the results may not apply to all populations of different ethnicities. Furthermore, the work does not establish a direct causal relationship, being only observational. Therefore, further studies are needed.
CNN Brasil
