Shingles vaccination may halve the one-year risk of serious cardiac events among older adults who have heart disease, adding to accumulating evidence that the vaccine may protect against health conditions in addition to shingles (herpes zoster), University of California researchers say.
The study findings will be presented at the upcoming American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in New Orleans.
Previous studies have suggested that shingles can lead to the formation of blood clots around the brain and heart, posing a risk of heart attacks, strokes, and venous blood clots. Preventing shingles infection through vaccination is believed to prevent these clots.
Risk reduction on par with quitting smoking
The investigators analyzed electronic health record data from 246,822 US adults aged 50 years and older diagnosed as having atherosclerotic heart disease (plaque buildup in the arteries) from 2018 to 2025. Participants were 123,411 people who had received at least one dose of either the Shingrix or Zostavax shingles vaccine and the same number of unvaccinated controls.
Read Full Article Here
