Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk in large nursing-care study
A new study in Annals of Internal Medicine, led by Brown University and the University of Delaware, followed more than 500,000 adults aged 66 and older entering skilled nursing facilities. Those who received the recombinant shingles vaccine showed a 24 percent relative reduction
Researchers report that a shingles vaccine many older adults already receive may be linked to a lower risk of dementia. The finding comes from a new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine, led by Brown University School of Public Health and the University of Delaware. The team examined more than 500,000 adults aged 66 and older entering skilled nursing facilities, comparing those who received at least one dose of the recombinant shingles vaccine within a year of entering care with those who did not. Over four years, vaccinated residents showed a 24 percent relative reduction in dementia risk, roughly six fewer cases per hundred people in absolute terms. The researchers used a method called target trial emulation to mimic a randomized trial using real-world records. They stress the result is an association, not proof that the vaccine prevents dementia. Earlier research has pointed in a similar direction, and a separate study this year linked the shingles vaccine to slower biological aging.