Shingles vaccination may reduce dementia risk

There is still no cure for dementia, which affects around 130,000 people in Austria. A lot of research is being done on the triggers of this disease, which also includes Alzheimer’s. Recently, the role of viruses and bacteria has been examined in several studies.

Scientists from Stanford University and the Universities of Heidelberg, Mainz and Vienna have now examined a connection between a shingles vaccination and dementia – with clear results.

The international research team evaluated data from more than 280,000 people to determine whether a shingles vaccine (Zostavax) also protects against dementia. Their result: A shingles vaccination reduced the probability of a dementia diagnosis by 19.9 percent over the following seven years. Further analysis showed that the protective effect of the vaccine was significantly stronger in women than in men.

“Our results strongly suggest that the varicella-zoster virus plays an important role in the development of dementia,” the researchers summarize when presenting their “preprint study”.

This means that the studies have not yet been reviewed by peers and possibly corrected or criticized. Only then can a study be published.

The professional world also reacted very positively because several studies now indicate that there could be a connection between the herpes virus, which causes shingles, and Alzheimer’s. In addition to the varicella-zoster virus, which causes chickenpox (varicella) and shingles (herpes zoster), the herpes simplex virus (HSV), cold sores (HSV-1) and genital herpes (HSV-2) also play a role. triggers.