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OXFORD (WJW) – A recent study suggests the shingles vaccine may have another purpose: preventing dementia.
This study University of Oxfordteeth, Nature Magazine On Thursday.
People who received the new recombinant shingles vaccine, Shingrix, lived about 164 days longer without developing dementia than those who received the older vaccine, according to a study.
Researchers looked at the medical records of 100,000 patients who received Shingrix over a six-year period, and compared the results with 100,000 other patients who received previous vaccines, such as Zostavax, before the U.S. made the vaccine switch in 2017. University.
“Specifically, vaccination with the recombinant vaccine was associated with a 17% increase in the undiagnosed interval,” the study said.
According to the researchers, the reduced risk of dementia was reported in both men and women, but was more pronounced in women.
According to experts: University of OxfordFurther studies are needed to confirm these findings.
“The size and nature of this study makes these findings compelling and should encourage further research. They support the hypothesis that shingles vaccination may prevent dementia,” said Dr Maxime Taquet, who led the study. Media Release“If validated in clinical trials, these findings could have major implications for older adults, health services and public health.”
Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is “caused by the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox.” Cleveland Clinic. Although there are treatments and vaccines for the symptoms, there is no known cure for shingles.
“A key question is how the vaccine might exert its apparent effect in preventing dementia,” says John Todd, professor of precision medicine at the University of Oxford. “One possibility is that infection with the varicella zoster virus may increase the risk of dementia, so inhibiting the virus with the vaccine could reduce that risk. Alternatively, the vaccine also contains chemicals that may have other beneficial effects on brain health.”
Research details here.
