News release

From: American College of Physicians

Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk in older adults, study suggests

A target trial emulation of older adults entering skilled-nursing facilities found that those who received the recombinant shingles vaccine (RZV) had a lower risk of developing dementia over the following four years compared with those who were not vaccinated. Older adults admitted to skilled nursing facilities are at higher risk for both dementia and shingles, so the findings warrant further research to establish more definitive evidence of the reduced risk for dementia after a shingles vaccination in this population. The study is published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Researchers from Brown University School of Public Health and colleagues examined whether receiving RZV is associated with dementia risk among adults age 66 and older newly admitted to skilled-nursing facilities. They analyzed Medicare and electronic health record data from more than 500,000 patients and compared those who received at least one vaccine dose within 12 months of admission (including after discharge) with those who did not. The researchers found that those who received RZV had a 24% relative reduction in risk and 6–percentage point absolute reduction in risk for dementia after four years compared with those who did not receive the vaccine. The authors concluded that shingles vaccination was associated with reduced dementia risk, though they also note the study highlights the low uptake of RZV, especially among adults at skilled-nursing facilities.