Shingles Vaccination Correlated with Reduced Likelihood of Dementia and Alzheimer’s

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends shingles vaccination for all adults aged 50 and older.¹ The recombinant version of the vaccine has been recommended since late 2020 in the United States. Previously, a live (or attenuated) vaccine was recommended.¹ Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease are conditions which affect a patient’s behavior and memory, with many factors that can contribute to the development of these conditions.² 

To understand the relationship between shingles vaccination and the likelihood of developing dementia or Alzheimer’s disease, we compared 3,258,533 patients who received the shingles vaccination between ages 50 and 65 to 4,329,780 patients of the same age with no evidence of a shingles vaccination. The vaccination rate in our study population was 42.9%, likely higher than the general population, as we required evidence of a pneumonia or influenza vaccine during the study period. This criteria aimed to ensure that immunizations were reliably captured in the EHR. We tracked dementia or Alzheimer’s disease diagnoses after the patient turned 65 and adjusted for patient race, age, Social Vulnerability Index quartile, rural-urban status, legal sex, BMI classification, frequency of care, and various comorbidities. 

Compared to patients with no evidence of any shingles vaccine, patients who received the live shingles vaccine between the ages of 50 and 59 were 41% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia after age 65. Patients who received the live vaccine between the ages of 60 and 65 were 48% less likely to be diagnosed with dementia after age 65. Similarly, patients who received the recombinant vaccine were also less likely than unvaccinated patients to be diagnosed with dementia after age 65: 44% less likely if they received it between ages 50 and 59, and 45% less likely if they received it between ages 60 and 65. 

We also examined the relationship between shingles vaccinations and Alzheimer’s diagnoses. Compared to patients who did not have evidence of any shingles vaccine, patients who received the live shingles vaccine between the ages of 50 and 59 were 28% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after age 65. Patients who received the live vaccine between the ages of 60 and 65 were 39% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after age 65. Similarly, patients who received the recombinant vaccine were also less likely than unvaccinated patients to be diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease after age 65: 22% less likely if they received it between ages 50 and 59, and 28% less likely if they received it between ages 60 and 65.