“Amyloid PET image: In Alzheimer’s patients like on the left, amyloid deposits in the cerebral cortex are visible as a red color (arrow). In healthy individuals, no amyloid deposits are observed in the cerebral cortex (right).”
“Shingles vaccine has been shown to have a preventive effect against dementia.”
“After tracking about 280,000 elderly people with similar conditions other than their vaccination status for 7 years, it was confirmed that the incidence of dementia was 20% lower in those who received the vaccine.”
“According to a study led by Professor Pascal Geldsetzer from Stanford University School of Medicine, published in the scientific journal Nature on the 2nd (local time), ‘This study has very strong evidence,’ and ‘it seems that women benefit more, which is an important finding considering women are at a higher risk for dementia.'”
“The research team analyzed seven years of medical records of elderly people around the age of 80 in Wales, who received the world’s first-generation shingles vaccine, and those who did not.”
“Professor Maria Nagel from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, who studies viruses that invade the nervous system, told AP, ‘Shingles virus is a risk factor for dementia, and now we have an intervention to reduce that risk.'”
“What is shingles?”
“Almost everyone who had chickenpox in childhood carries the varicella-zoster virus for life. This virus remains dormant in nerves and can reactivate when immunity is weakened, manifesting as shingles. Shingles usually appears on one side of the body with severe pain accompanying the blisters, which can last for several weeks.”
“What is the relationship between shingles and dementia?”
“The exact cause of dementia (including Alzheimer’s disease) is still unknown. However, researchers report that certain viruses penetrating the nervous system, particularly the herpes virus family including the varicella virus, alongside genetic factors, are likely to influence the development of dementia.”
“Last year, researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital affiliated with Harvard Medical School announced that having shingles can increase the risk of dementia by about 20%.”
“The reason is ‘the virus can partly cause inflammation, which negatively affects various organs including the brain,’ according to the researchers.”
“According to AP, Professor Nagel revealed that shingles can promote the production of amyloid proteins, a key characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.”
“However, it was difficult to confirm the benefits of the vaccine alone since people who receive vaccinations tend to have brain health-promoting lifestyles, such as exercise and healthy eating habits.”
“To address this, Dr. Geldsetzer’s team used a special research method.”
“They noted that in Wales, as of September 1, 2013, people who were 79 could receive the shingles vaccine, but those who were 80 could not, creating a ‘natural clinical trial’ environment.”
“With almost all factors being the same except for a few weeks difference in birthdates, they were able to analyze the impact of vaccination on dementia risk among 282,541 people who received or did not receive the vaccine.”
“The vaccine administered at that time was Zostavax, a first-generation live attenuated vaccine. Currently used is Shingrix, which is genetically recombined.”
“Dr. Geldsetzer stated that they plan to study whether this different type of vaccine also offers the same protective effect.”