United States: Researchers from the University of Oxford have found that the most recent shingles vaccine is safer compared to the previous one and more effective in preventing dementia.
More about the findings
Both shingles vaccines were linked with a decreased risk of dementia compared to other influenza vaccines or the tetanus / diphtheria / pertussis (Tdap) vaccine.
The scientists analyzed the overall health and well-being of over 200,000 patients who had taken one of the two differing shingles vaccines and determined that Shingrix, the recombinant shingles vaccine, decreases dementia by not less than 17 percent more than the older but no longer manufactured, live shingles vaccine known as Zostavax.
Besides, it indicated that Shingrix provided better protection for dementia by 23-27 percent than those vaccines that protected some other diseases. This is equivalent to 5-9 Months or more of dementia-free days or lives to be lived, as Forbes reported.
This protective effect was observed in both sexes; however, women were more protected than men.
Notably, following the introduction of the live vaccine against shingles, Zostavax, in 2006, several works identified it might lower the risk of dementia.
After this, Zostavax has been phased out in numerous countries, including the USA and the UK, and they opted for a much more efficient vaccine known as Shingrix.
It should be noted that Shingrix is not a live virus vaccine, unlike Zostavax. It is a recombinant vaccine developed from parts of a particular virus. According to the vaccination schedule, it is administered in two parts, with the second part taken after 2 to 6 months of the first.
Participants for this comparative study were identified when the country was transitioning between the two types of vaccines.
This allowed the study to break new ground in comparing dementia risk six years after Shingrix against the otherwise similar persons who consumed Zostavax.
Each of these groups had over 100,000 people. The study also compared Shingrix to vaccines for other infections, such as flu, tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis.
According to the study’s lead author, Maxime Taquet, a NIHR Clinical Lecturer with educational backgrounds in both clinical psychiatry and engineering, “The size and nature of this study makes these findings convincing, and should motivate further research,” as the Forbes reported.
“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,” Taquet added.