A new study published in the Annals of Internal Medicine found that older nursing home residents who received at least one dose of the Shingrix shingles vaccine were 24% less likely to develop dementia over a four-year period compared to unvaccinated peers. This adds to a growing body of research linking the varicella-zoster virus — which causes shingles — to cognitive decline. Shingrix is the only shingles vaccine currently available in the United States. The findings suggest that a widely accessible, already-approved vaccine may offer a meaningful and underappreciated tool for protecting brain health in aging adults, beyond its primary purpose of preventing painful shingles outbreaks.
