A new study in Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy found that just one episode of shingles could bump up your risk of long-term confusion and memory loss by 20%—another great reason to consider getting the shingles vaccine.
So, what’s the deal with shingles? Also known as herpes zoster (HZ), shingles is that painful rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus—the same one that causes chickenpox. Once you’ve had chickenpox, this virus hangs around in your body and can reactivate later in life. Almost everyone over 50 in the U.S. has had chickenpox, making them fair game for shingles.
The study, led by researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, looked at 149,327 people aged 25 to 75 from the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS), NHS II, and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study (HPFS). The researchers wanted to see if there was a link between having shingles and later experiencing cognitive decline. They collected data from 2000 to 2017 and compared the cognitive scores of those who had shingles to those who didn’t.
Turns out, those who had shingles showed a 20% higher risk of cognitive issues compared to those who never had it. The researchers think shingles could mess with your brain through inflammation, nerve damage, or triggering other herpes viruses, but the long-term effects are still a bit unclear. Plus, we don’t yet have studies on whether the shingles vaccine could help prevent cognitive decline, but it’s definitely something worth considering.
Bottom line? Getting the shingles vaccine might do more than just protect you from a painful rash—it could also help keep your mind sharp!
