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The Reason Why Shingles Vaccine is Highly Protective Against Dementia
It may not have anything to do with shingles after all.
In the quest to battle dementia, the shingles vaccine may be more important than we think. Recent studies from the U.K., U.S., and Australia have reported fascinating cause-and-effect evidence that shingles vaccination could cut the incidence of dementia substantially, especially among older females.
In my previous article, “Shingles Vaccine Protects Against Dementia, But How Strong is the Effect? Here’s My Attempt to Decode It,” I delved into the strength of this effect size and estimated the real-world impact of shingles vaccination on dementia rates based on these recent studies.
In this article, we’re exploring the “why” behind these findings. How could a vaccine aimed at preventing a skin condition provide a shield against dementia? To answer this, we need to understand the fascinating biology of shingles and the unique ways herpesviruses interact with the brain.
A Backdrop on Shingles
[Feel free to skip this section if you’re already familiar with shingles.]
Shingles begins when someone gets exposed to the varicella-zoster virus (VZV) through direct contact with an infected person or by…
