A study has found that vaccination against the varicella zoster virus can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. The vaccine does not directly prevent cardiovascular disease, but it prevents shingles, which in turn prevents vascular damage, blood clot formation, and inflammation, thereby indirectly lowering cardiovascular risks.
A research team led by Yeondong Geon, the deputy director of the Kyunghee University Medical Center's Digital Health Center, noted on the 6th that "Individuals who have received the shingles vaccine 'Zostavax' at least once have a 26% lower chance of dying from heart disease or experiencing stroke, myocardial infarction, or heart failure." The research results, which were based on observations of over 1 million people, were published in the international journal 'European Heart Journal' on that day.
Shingles is a neurological disease caused by infection with the varicella zoster virus. When infected with the virus as a child, one develops chickenpox, which causes blisters all over the body, and when the dormant virus becomes active in adulthood, shingles manifests as a stripe-like rash on the skin. The rash gradually turns into blisters and causes pain. The pain experienced when one has shingles is known to be similar in intensity to that of childbirth.
The research team explained that "Shingles is known to cause inflammation in the blood vessels, and the vaccine may lower the risk of cardiovascular disease by preventing infection."
Generally, cardiovascular diseases are not included in the list of complications of shingles. However, it is known in academia that shingles increases the risk of stroke by about 30% and the risk of heart attacks by about 10%. The risk is particularly high within the first year after infection.
To investigate whether this issue is alleviated by vaccination, the research team analyzed data from 1,271,922 Koreans aged 50 or older. They compared the vaccination status of shingles live vaccine and the subsequent incidence of 18 types of cardiovascular diseases (heart failure, stroke, thrombosis, arrhythmias, ischemia, etc.). Health-related factors such as age, gender, socioeconomic status, exercise level, and social habits were also considered.
According to the research team, the vaccine’s effectiveness in preventing cardiovascular disease can last up to 8 years, with particularly pronounced effects observed in men and those under 60. Individuals who were vaccinated showed a 23% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease compared to those who were not vaccinated.
The risk for vaccine recipients for specific diseases such as heart disease, stroke, myocardial infarction, and heart failure was 26% lower. The risk of coronary artery disease was reduced by 22%. The most significant effects were observed between 2 to 3 years after vaccination, tapering gradually over the following 5 years.
When analyzed by gender and age, the risk reduction rate for men was found to be 27%, while for women it was 20%. The reduction rate for those under 60 was 27%, which was greater than the 16% reduction for those over 60. Rural residents exhibited a 25% reduction in risk compared to 20% for urban residents. For low-income groups, the reduction was reported at 26%, while high-income groups showed a 20% reduction. In cases of obesity, individuals with a higher body mass index (BMI) experienced a somewhat diminished effect.
Galen Foulke, a professor at Pennsylvania State University, remarked, "This study further strengthens the belief that shingles vaccination reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by inhibiting vascular inflammation," adding, "Global health systems could significantly reduce healthcare costs associated with cardiovascular disease through the relatively inexpensive shingles vaccine."
The reason the research team analyzed the live vaccine Zostavax is that it has been in use longer than the recently released protein-based vaccine 'Shingrix', thus having more long-term data. The research team stated, "Since Shingrix is expected to have superior shingles prevention effects, the cardiovascular protective effects are also anticipated to be stronger."
References
European Heart Journal(2025) DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf230