The recombinant shingles vaccine is associated with lower risk of dementia

There is emerging evidence that the live herpes zoster (shingles) vaccine might protect against dementia. However, the existing data are limited and refer only to the live vaccine, which is now discontinued in the United States and many other countries in favor of a recombinant vaccine. Whether the recombinant shingles vaccine protects against dementia remains unknown. Here we used a natural experiment opportunity created by the rapid transition from the use of live to the use of recombinant vaccines to compare the risk of dementia between vaccine types. We show that the recombinant vaccine is associated with a significantly lower risk of dementia in the 6 years post-vaccination. Specifically, receiving the…

• W
  Wellcome

  Award: 203141/A/16/Z
• JD
  Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation United States of America

  Award: 4-SRA-2017-473-A-N
• WT
  Wellcome Trust

  Awards: 203141/A/16/Z, 203141
• NI
  National Institute for Health and Care Research

  Award: NIHR203316