Adults who received the recombinant shingles vaccine Shingrix had a 9% lower cardiovascular disease burden over seven years compared to those who received the older live vaccine Zostavax. That finding comes from a study of 72,920 adults ages 60 and over, reported by Healthline.
Researchers divided participants into two groups based on when they were vaccinated. About half received the live shingles vaccine between April and September 2017, the six months before the United States began transitioning to Shingrix. The other half were vaccinated between April and September 2018, by which point most people were receiving the recombinant vaccine. The U.S. discontinued Zostavax entirely in 2020.
The specific cardiovascular reductions among Shingrix recipients included a 10% lower burden of coronary heart disease, a 12% lower burden of heart failure, a 12% lower burden of ischemic stroke in men, and a 7% lower burden of atrial fibrillation. Researchers found no significant association between Shingrix and ischemic stroke reduction in women.
The researchers noted that previous studies compared vaccinated people to those who were entirely unvaccinated. This study took a different approach, using Zostavax recipients as the comparison group. They also cautioned that because this is an observational study, cause and effect cannot be proven, and that more research is needed.
Cardiologists not involved in the study pointed to inflammation as a possible explanation. Kevin Shah, MD, a board certified cardiologist and Program Director of Heart Failure Outreach at MemorialCare Heart & Vascular Institute at Long Beach Medical Center, told Healthline that shingles can trigger a significant inflammatory response and that chronic inflammation plays a key role in atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease. He said preventing shingles with Shingrix may reduce that inflammation and potentially lower cardiovascular risk.
Kaustubh Dabhadkar, MD, a board certified preventive cardiologist at Novant Health and Medical Advisor to Veevo Health, agreed with that reasoning. He noted that heart disease is not purely a metabolic condition. "Although we think of heart disease as a pure metabolic issue, it is an inflammatory issue in equal part," he said.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the shingles vaccine for all adults ages 50 and older, as well as for adults ages 19 and older who are or will be immunocompromised.
