A study examined whether the shingles vaccine is linked to a lower risk of dementia in older adults. The researchers focused on people age 66 and older who entered skilled nursing facilities for short or long stays.
They analyzed Medicare claims and electronic health records from more than 500,000 adults admitted to over 5,500 skilled nursing facilities between 2017 and 2022. 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 were vaccinated.
After four years, 18.8% of vaccinated adults developed dementia versus 24.6% of unvaccinated adults. The vaccinated group had a 24% lower risk of being diagnosed with dementia over that period, which the authors say could translate to about one in 17 cases potentially prevented.
The study used a target trial emulation to mimic a randomized trial. The authors note they cannot be sure the vaccine caused the lower risk because vaccinated people tended to be slightly younger and healthier; the team adjusted for these differences but the association remained. The paper was published in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Difficult words
- dementia — a brain condition causing memory and thinking problemsdementia.
- skilled nursing facility — a care place for older or sick peopleskilled nursing facilities
- vaccinate — to give a vaccine to someonevaccinated, vaccinated.
- recombinant — made by combining genetic material from different sources
- association — a connection between two things or events
- diagnose — to identify an illness from its signsdiagnosed
- adjust — to change something to correct for differencesadjusted
Tip: hover, focus or tap highlighted words in the article to see quick definitions while you read or listen.
Discussion questions
- Would you consider getting the shingles vaccine if you were over 66? Why or why not?
- How might differences in age and health between groups change the study results?
- What other information would you want before deciding the vaccine caused fewer dementia cases?
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