Oxford study shows NHS shingles vaccine may delay dementia

The study showed the Shingrix vaccine is linked to a drop of 17 per cent in dementia diagnoses six years after vaccination compared to the earlier Zostavax jab.

Researchers said people could expect five to nine more months of life without dementia for those given the Shingrix jab compared with other vaccines, and described the finding as “convincing”.

The effects were greater in women, although both men and woman benefitted. Women enjoyed 22 per cent more time lived without a dementia diagnosis versus men's 13 per cent.

Shingles causes painful rashes and is most common among older people (Image: Petra Richli/Alamy/PA)

Shingles, a condition causing painful rashes, is most common among older individuals. It can lead to serious problems such as deafness, long-lasting pain, and blindness.

Dr Maxime Taquet, academic clinical lecturer in Oxford's department of psychiatry, 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.”

Dr Taquet said the team’s interpretation of the data is the jab works to delay dementia rather than prevent it altogether, although more work is needed.

The NHS offers two Shingrix doses once individuals turn 65, given their birthdate is 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 also offered a vaccine.

Shingrix, manufactured by GlaxoSmithKline, has demonstrated at least a decade of shingles protection after the first jab.

Researchers used emerging evidence that the previous vaccine, Zostavax, may also protect against dementia.

After the US replacement of Zostavax with Shingrix in October 2017, there was an opportunity to compare the vaccines.

Dr Sheona Scales, director of research at Alzheimer’s Research UK, welcomed the study but said further research was 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”.

She added: “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.

“These include things like smoking, high blood pressure and excessive alcohol consumption.”