Researchers say there appears to be a connection after finding an interesting group of people to study.
Lizzy Care is reimagining dementia care and providing the resources for today’s needs and tomorrow’s challenges.
How researchers found shingles-dementia data
In 2013, the country of Wales decided that anybody born on or after September 2, 1933 was eligible for a shingles vaccine. Anybody older was ineligible for life.
A large group of people born in the same place at similar times – just on one side of the cutoff or the other – are likely to have many similarities, other than vaccine status. The researchers looked at records from adults born between September 1, 1925 and September 1, 1942 – half of them eligible for the vaccine and half of them not. They found that after seven years, adults who got the vaccine were 20% less likely to receive a dementia diagnosis.
This conclusion follows several other studies that also found a correlation between the shingles vaccine and a decreased chance of dementia. However, this is the first that was able to study such a large, randomized cohort.
The authors of the study went further, finding that more women benefited than men, although they couldn’t determine whether it’s because the vaccine was more effective for women or simply because women are more often diagnosed with dementia than them.
They also noted that because the shingles vaccine is cheaper than other pharmaceuticals used for dementia, this could be an avenue worth pursuing for delaying dementia.
I had shingles or chicken pox. Does that help?
Unfortunately, there was no correlation between having shingles or chicken pox (which is related) and a lower incidence of dementia.
It’s believed that 99% of Americans born in 1980 or earlier have had chicken pox. Even if you have had the disease, you may be eligible to receive the shingles vaccine. You should speak to your doctor to find out if it is right for you.
You can read more about the study in the journal Nature.
Related Posts:
