Study Suggests Shingles Vaccine May Reduce Cardiovascular Risk in Older Adults
Research on 70,000 US patients found that the Shingrix vaccine was associated with a 12% lower risk of cardiovascular diagnoses over 3.5 years. The lead researcher, Maxime Taquet, said the benefit could be comparable to daily blood pressure medication. If confirmed, the vaccine could prevent hundreds of thousands of heart attacks and strokes worldwide.
The study leveraged a natural experiment: the US switch from the older Zostavax vaccine to Shingrix in 2017, allowing researchers to compare cardiovascular outcomes in the same individuals before and after the change. Tracking 70,000 adults aged 60+ for seven years, they found a 12% risk reduction in the first 3.5 years, fading to 4% by study end. The benefit may stem from preventing shingles-related vascular damage or from broader immune modulation reducing inflammation.
If replicated in ongoing trials, this could reshape preventive care for older adults, offering a dual-purpose intervention against both a painful condition and leading causes of death. Health systems might prioritize shingles vaccination more aggressively, potentially reducing hospitalizations and healthcare costs. However, the modest absolute risk change means individual benefits vary, and confirmation is essential before clinical guidelines shift.