Shingles vaccine may offer unexpected protection against heart, stroke, and eye complications, study finds

The shingles vaccine Shingrix (recombinant herpes zoster vaccine, RZV; GSK) may provide benefits beyond preventing painful rashes. A new study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases suggests it could also lower the risk of stroke, heart attack, and herpes zoster ophthalmicus (HZO) in adults over 50.

Led by Emily Rayens from the Department of Research & Evaluation, Kaiser Permanente Southern California, they have analyzed over 100,000 adults who received two doses of RZV between 2018 and 2020, comparing them with more than 400,000 unvaccinated individuals.

Participants were followed for a median of 2.5 years, with a median age of 68. Most participants were female (59 per cent) and white (57 per cent).

Key findings

Eye complications: The shingles vaccine can prevent herpes zoster ophthalmicus, a serious eye complication that affects about 10 per cent of shingles patients and can cause chronic pain or vision loss. The vaccine is about 73 per cent effective, supporting its use in older adults to protect eye health.

Heart health: Hospitalizations for acute heart attacks decreased (0.5 vs. 0.6 per 1,000 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio 0.72), and stroke hospitalizations were also lower (3.3 vs. 5.5 per 1,000 person-years; adjusted hazard ratio 0.575).

These results also reinforce prior data showing RZV is around 74 per cent effective against shingles and 84 per cent effective against postherpetic neuralgia.

Limitations and considerations of the study

While the study’s findings are promising, there are some limitations. Researchers could not calculate direct vaccine effectiveness for stroke and heart attack, as these were not the primary endpoints.

As the Pharmacy Times explains, other factors, such as pre-existing health conditions or differences in healthcare use, may have influenced the results.

The genomic assay used in earlier shingles studies is also not commonly applied in clinical practice, which may affect generalizability.

FAQs

What is Shingles?

Shingles is a painful rash condition that occurs when the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox, reactivates in the body. This reactivation typically happens in individuals who have previously had chickenpox.

As per the CDC in the United States, an estimated 1 million people develop shingles each year. Most individuals experience shingles only once in their lifetime; however, it is possible to have shingles more than once.

What are the signs and symptoms of Shingles?

Shingles typically causes a painful, itchy, or tingly rash on one side of the body. A common complication is postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), which results in long-term nerve pain.

Who is at risk of getting Shingles?

If you have ever had chickenpox, you are at risk of getting shingles, and complications increase with age, certain medical conditions that weaken your immune system (like leukemia, lymphoma, or HIV), and medications such as steroids or those taken after an organ transplant.

How to prevent yourself from Shingles?

The CDC recommends that adults aged 50 and older receive two doses of the recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV, Shingrix) to help prevent shingles and its related complications.

Additionally, Shingrix is recommended for adults aged 19 and older who have weakened immune systems due to medical conditions or treatments.