Shingrix shingles vaccine linked to 24% lower dementia risk in study of 500,000+ older adults
A Brown University study of over 500,000 older adults found that those who received the Shingrix shingles vaccine after a nursing facility stay were 24% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia within four years, per research published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
Researchers at Brown University analyzed Medicare and health records from more than 509,000 adults age 66 and older admitted to over 5,500 skilled nursing facilities between 2017 and 2022. Only 8,843 received the Shingrix shingles vaccine. After four years, 18.8% of vaccinated adults were diagnosed with dementia versus 24.6% of unvaccinated adults, a 24% relative difference the study's authors estimate could translate to roughly one dementia case prevented per 17 people vaccinated. The study, published in the Annals of Internal Medicine, used a target trial emulation method and cannot prove the vaccine itself caused the lower dementia rate; vaccinated adults tended to be younger and healthier at baseline. The study was funded by GlaxoSmithKline $GSK, maker of Shingrix, which the authors say had no role in study design or analysis. Sources: ScienceDaily/Brown University, Annals of Internal Medicine.