A shingles vaccine, available on the NHS, could reduce the risk of dementia by up to 27 per cent compared to jabs for other illnesses, a study shows.
The painful and serious condition, which mainly affects older people, can cause an uncomfortable rash and lead to serious problems such as deafness, long-lasting pain and even blindness.
In 2021, a vaccine called Shingrix was introduced on the NHS, replacing a previous jab for shingles called Zostavax.
And now, a major study has shown Shingrix is linked to a 'significantly' lower risk of dementia compared to Zostavax and jabs for other illnesses, which have also shown to reduce the risk of developing the condition.
Researchers from the University of Oxford analysed data on more than 200,000 people in the USA, where the Shingrix vaccine has been used for longer.
A major study has shown Shingrix is linked to a 'significantly' lower risk of dementia compared to Zostavax and jabs for other illnesses
Some of the people involved had received the earlier Zostavax vaccine, while others had been given Shingrix.
Over six years, the team found Shingrix was linked with a 17 per cent lower risk of dementia than the previously-used Zostavax, with women benefitting more than men.
However, when compared to people who had just received vaccines against other infections such as flu and tetanus, those who received Shingrix had a 23-27 per cent lower risk of developing dementia.
Dr Maxime Taquet, academic clinical lecturer in the department of psychiatry at Oxford, who led the study, said: 'The size and nature of this study makes these findings convincing and should motivate further research.
'They support the hypothesis that vaccination against shingles might prevent dementia.
'If validated in clinical trials, these findings could have significant implications for older adults, health services and public health.'
John Todd, professor of precision medicine at the University of Oxford's Nuffield Department of Medicine, said: 'A key question is, how does the vaccine produce its apparent benefit in protecting against dementia?
'One possibility is that infection with the Herpes zoster virus – shingles - might increase the risk of dementia and, therefore, by inhibiting the virus the vaccine could reduce this risk.
'Alternatively, the vaccine also contains chemicals which might have separate beneficial effects on brain health.'
In the UK people are offered two doses of Shingrix when they turn 65 on the NHS, as long as their 65th birthday was on or after September 1 2023.
Those who turned 65 before this date are eligible for the shingles vaccine when they become 70, while all people aged 70 to 79 are also eligible.
People aged 50 and over with a severely weakened immune system are offered a vaccine.
Evidence shows Shingrix, made by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), can provide at least a decade of protection against shingles after the first jab.
Hundreds of participants were judged on how healthy their life was, logging a score of between zero and six based on all the different factors.Volunteers who didn't break a sweat for at least ten minutes a day for three or four days a week got nothing. The other lifestyle habits related to alcohol consumption, smoking status and quality of sleep. Social interaction and having hobbies were the other two factors
Around 900,000 Brits are currently thought to have the memory-robbing disorder. But University College London scientists estimate this will rise to 1.7million within two decades as people live longer. It marks a 40 per cent uptick on the previous forecast in 2017
There are multiple possible signs of dementia a memory-robbing condition plaguing nearly 1million Brits and seven million Americans
Professor Paul Harrison, an expert in psychiatry and OH BRC Theme lead for Molecular Targets, who supervised the study, said: 'The findings are intriguing and encouraging.
'Anything that might reduce the risk of dementia is to be welcomed, given the large and increasing number of people affected by it.'
Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer's Research UK, welcomed the study but said further investigations are needed.
She said it 'isn't clear how the vaccine might be reducing risk, nor whether the vaccine causes a reduction in dementia risk directly, or whether there's another factor at play'.
'While research into whether vaccines affect dementia risk continues, people should be aware that there are other factors that have definitively been linked to an increased dementia risk,' she added.
'These include things like smoking, high blood pressure and excessive alcohol consumption.'
Dr Taquet said the team’s interpretation of the data is that the jab works to delay dementia rather than prevent it altogether, although more work is needed.
The researchers said the difference equates to five to 9 more months of life without dementia for those given the Shingrix jab compared with other shingles vaccines.
