of shingles vaccine A new study from Stanford University says it may slow the progression of dementia.
These findings follow previous research showing that older people who received the vaccine were 20% less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who were not vaccinated.
“For the first time, we have evidence of a causal relationship between shingles vaccination and the prevention and treatment of dementia,” Dr. Pascal Gersetzer, assistant professor of medicine and lead author of the new study, told FOX News Digital.
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The team of scientists used public health data from Wales. For several years, eligibility for the shingles vaccine (Zostavax) in Wales was strictly based on date of birth.
Those born just before the cutoff automatically qualified, while those born immediately after the cutoff did not.
This created two large groups of older adults who were nearly identical in age, health, and background, differing only in who received the vaccine. This allowed researchers to compare rates of dementia and avoid some of the biases seen in dementia. observational study.
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After the initial analysis in April, researchers looked deeper into the records and discovered: Vaccine benefits It ranges from the early signs of cognitive decline to the final stages of dementia.
Over nine years, vaccinated people were less likely to be diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment.
In addition, those who have received vaccinations after Dementia diagnosis The significant decline in dementia mortality over the next nine years suggests that vaccines may slow the progression of the disease.
Almost half of older people in Wales who had dementia at the start of the vaccination program ended up dying from their dementia during follow-up, compared to just 30% of those who received the vaccine.
“A growing body of research shows that viruses that preferentially target the nervous system and spend most of their lives hibernating there may be involved in the development of dementia,” Gerdsetzer said.
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For that, chickenpox virusremains in the body for life. According to the Mayo Clinic, as you get older, shingles can come back and cause shingles, which can sometimes cause inflammation in or around the brain.
Preventing viral flare-ups may also reduce inflammation, which is associated with dementia risk, experts say.
According to the research team, an important limitation of this study is that health behavior The difference between those who have been vaccinated and those who have not been vaccinated is clear.
“There is little, if any, information about these behaviors in electronic medical records or medical claims data,” Gerdsetzer said.
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For example, researchers do not know about patients’ dietary behaviors or physical activity levels.
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“If the shingles vaccine does indeed prevent or delay dementia, and this new study shows that it may also be effective in people who already have dementia, this would be a very important finding for patients. clinical medicinepopulation health, and research into the causes of dementia,” Gertsetzer emphasized.
Fox News Digital has reached out to the manufacturer of the shingles vaccine for comment.
