Researchers studied people age 66 and older who entered skilled nursing facilities between 2017 and 2022. They used Medicare claims and electronic health records for more than 500,000 adults in over 5,500 facilities.
The team compared people who received at least one dose of the recombinant shingles vaccine, RZV (Shingrix), with those who did not. Only 8,843 of 509,926 participants received the vaccine. After a four-year follow-up, 18.8% of vaccinated adults developed dementia compared with 24.6% of unvaccinated adults.
The vaccinated group had a 24% lower risk of a dementia diagnosis over four years. The authors say this could mean about one in 17 dementia cases might be prevented. However, researchers cannot be certain the vaccine caused the lower risk, and more studies will be needed.
Difficult words
- recombinant — Made by combining genetic material from different sources
- facility — A place where people get care or servicesfacilities
- claim — A request for payment from an insurance programclaims
- follow-up — A later check to see what happened
- vaccinate — To give a vaccine to help prevent diseasevaccinated
- dementia — A brain condition that affects memory and thinking
- prevent — To stop something from happening or startingprevented
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you consider a vaccine that might lower the risk of dementia? Why or why not?
- What more information would you want before deciding to get this vaccine?
- Do you know older adults who live in nursing facilities, and how do you feel about their care?
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