Study links Shingrix shingles vaccine to 24% lower dementia risk in older adults
Brown University researchers analyzing Medicare records for more than 500,000 adults age 66 and older found that those who received at least one Shingrix dose after a skilled nursing facility stay had a 24% lower risk of a dementia diagnosis over four years. ScienceDaily summarized the Annals of Internal Medicine study and stressed that it cannot prove cause and effect.
Older adults who received the Shingrix shingles vaccine after entering a skilled nursing facility were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next four years, according to a Brown University-led study covered by ScienceDaily.
Researchers reviewed Medicare claims and electronic health records for 509,926 adults age 66 and older admitted to more than 5,500 skilled nursing facilities between 2017 and 2022. Only 8,843 received at least one dose of the recombinant shingles vaccine known as Shingrix. Participants could not have a prior dementia diagnosis and had to be eligible for the shot.
After four years, dementia was diagnosed in 18.8% of vaccinated adults versus 24.6% of those who were not vaccinated. That amounted to a 24% lower relative risk. Lead author Kaley Hayes, an assistant professor at Brown's School of Public Health, said the difference could translate to roughly one dementia case prevented for every 17 people vaccinated.
Hayes noted that earlier work focused on an older live vaccine. This analysis looked only at Shingrix in a high-risk group at a clear point of care: nursing facility admission. The findings fit a growing set of studies suggesting shingles vaccination may carry neuroprotective signals beyond rash prevention.
The study used target trial emulation to approximate some features of a randomized trial. It cannot prove Shingrix caused the lower dementia rates. Vaccinated adults tended to be slightly younger and healthier, factors that can also lower dementia risk. Researchers adjusted for those differences and said they did not fully explain the association.
Authors reported funding from GlaxoSmithKline, which makes Shingrix, and said the company had no control over design, analysis or publication. Additional clinical trials are still needed. In the United States, adults 50 and older are eligible for two Shingrix doses, and CDC guidance covers people who previously received the discontinued Zostavax shot.
Go Deeper
Who was studied?
More than 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries age 66 and older admitted to skilled nursing facilities from 2017 to 2022 without a prior dementia diagnosis.
What was the main finding?
Adults who got at least one Shingrix dose had a 24% lower relative risk of dementia over four years (18.8% vs. 24.6%).
Does this prove the vaccine prevents dementia?
No. It is an observational study. Healthier people may be more likely to get vaccinated, which can bias results even after adjustments.
Who can get Shingrix?
In the U.S., adults 50 and older are generally eligible for two doses. Ask a clinician about timing and prior shingles shots.
Who funded the work?
Authors reported GlaxoSmithKline funding and said the company did not control the study design, analysis or decision to publish.
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