A recent study revealed that shingles vaccines may support long-term brain health in addition to preventing a painful rash.
According to a study published in Cell, vaccinated elderly individuals were likely to develop early memory and thinking problems, and those living with dementia had a reduced risk of dying from the disease.
The findings come from health records of over 282,500 adults in Wales, where a shingles vaccination program started in 2013.
Only individuals who were aged 79 were eligible for the study, scientists were able to compare two nearly identical groups with different vaccination rates.
Adults without any prior memory related issues who received the vaccine shots had a 3.1-percentage-point reduced risk of developing mild cognitive impairment for more than nine years.
For people living with dementia, vaccination was associated with a 29.5-percentage-point reduced chance of dying from the condition.
The effects appeared stronger in women.
Researchers proposed two possible explanations: The vaccine may minimise inflammation associated with dormant chickenpox virus activity in the nervous system, or it may strengthen overall immune function, reducing infections linked to dementia risk.
Experts called the results promising but caution that more scientists are needed before advising shingles vaccinations particularly for dementia prevention.
