All posts tagged: Shingles

Shingles is linked to inflammation in the brain. Research shows how to cut dementia risk.

Shingles is linked to inflammation in the brain. Research shows how to cut dementia risk.

Published by Sam Flores

The shingles vaccine may significantly help protect older adults against dementia, a growing body of evidence shows. Limited time: Save 25% on NBC News subscription Get exclusive reporting, live Q&As and ad-free reading. Exactly how is unclear. The nervous system, however, likely holds clues. Shingles, a condition triggered by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus in the body, can cause a “war zone” of inflammation in the brain, said Dr. Jennifer Pauldurai, the medical director of the Inova Brain Health and Memory Disorders Program in Northern Virginia. People who have had chickenpox are at risk of developing the burning, itchy rash years or decades later. Long-term, debilitating nerve pain, called postherpetic neuralgia, is the most common complication of shingles because the varicella-zoster virus hides in the peripheral nervous system. It’s not that the shingles vaccine itself is a “magic pill,” Pauldurai said. Rather, the vaccine guards against the disease, which is known to disrupt brain health. “When the brain is stressed or challenged with any kind of illness, underlying risks for dementia become more apparent,” …

Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk, study finds

Shingles vaccine linked to lower dementia risk, study finds

Published by Jenni Sidey

A shingles shot given around the time of a skilled nursing facility stay may be tied to something larger than protection from a painful rash. In a large U.S. analysis, older adults who received Shingrix were less likely to be diagnosed with dementia over the next four years, a finding that adds weight to a growing and still unsettled idea. The study followed more than 500,000 adults ages 66 and older who were admitted to skilled nursing facilities between 2017 and 2022 for short-term rehabilitation or long-term care. All were eligible for the recombinant shingles vaccine, known as RZV or Shingrix, and none had a prior dementia diagnosis when they entered the study. Researchers compared people who received at least one dose of Shingrix during their facility stay or within 12 months after admission with those who did not get the vaccine during that period or during follow-up. Over four years, 18.8% of vaccinated adults were diagnosed with dementia, compared with 24.6% of those who were not vaccinated. That worked out to a 24% lower …

The Backward Logic of Chickenpox Parties

The Backward Logic of Chickenpox Parties

Published by skeptic

Anyone who has had chickenpox shares one distinct memory: the relentless, all-consuming itch. Ciara DiVita was only 3 years old when she caught the virus, but she remembers it well—along with the oven mitts she was made to wear to stop herself scratching. She also recalls being taken to hang out with her cousin while covered in blisters, in the hopes of deliberately infecting them. DiVita, now 30, was actually the second in the chain, having been taken by her parents to catch chickenpox from an infectious friend. “I imagine the chain continued and my cousin gave it to someone else at a chickenpox play date,” she says. A lot has changed over the past three decades, most notably the development of a chickenpox vaccine, meaning the virus is no longer the childhood rite of passage it once was. Thanks to the vaccine’s success, children today are much less likely to be exposed to the infection at school or on the playground. Chickenpox parties are also largely considered a relic of the past—a strategy many …

Shingles vaccine linked to fewer heart attacks and strokes, study suggests – what you need to know

Shingles vaccine linked to fewer heart attacks and strokes, study suggests – what you need to know

Published by Sam Flores

You’ve probably seen the ads encouraging seniors above 60 to get the shingles vaccine – and think, oh bother, another vaccine to look into. But what if the same vaccine could potentially protect you from heart attack, stroke and cardiac-related deaths as well?  A study presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session in March reported that people with heart disease, who received a shingles vaccine, had nearly half the rate of serious cardiac events a year later, compared to those who did not get the vaccine. More specifically, the medical reports of over 246,000 adults with artherosclerotic heart disease were analysed – half of which had received at least one dose of either the Zostavax or Shingrix shingles vaccine. The shingles-protected participants were found to be “32 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack, 25 per cent less likely to suffer a stroke, and 25 per cent less likely to develop heart failure”. The researchers also noted that “vaccinated individuals were 46 per cent less likely to suffer any major adverse cardiac …

More than a rash, a painful condition not to ignore

More than a rash, a painful condition not to ignore

Published by Sam Flores

Singapore sees an estimated 30,000 shingles cases annually. Adults aged 50 and above, whose immune systems tend to weaken with age, are more prone to developing shingles. They are also more likely to experience complications. About half report persistent nerve pain for at least a month after the rash first appears, while one in five experience it for more than six months*. BEYOND THE RASH: HOW SHINGLES IMPACTS DAILY LIVING For Mr Chen, the most unforgettable part was the itching and stinging pain. “It felt like ants were biting me, but I couldn’t scratch. It was unbearable,” said the 76-year-old.  In addition to the physical discomfort, shingles affected Mr Chen’s well-being and daily life. Throughout his three to four weeks of recovery, he experienced insomnia and low energy.  Mr Richard Low, 73, who is also part of the OG Gang, similarly did not realise at first that he had shingles. While on holiday in China about 13 years ago, a small red dot on his left eyelid grew over four days into a larger patch …

You Need to Be More Freaked Out by Shingles

You Need to Be More Freaked Out by Shingles

Published by skeptic

Like a lot of people, Ann Garner thought that shingles was a “mild” illness—until 2024, when she became sick with it herself. If she had known at the time that Norwegians call shingles helvetesild, literally meaning “hell’s fire,” or that the Arabic name for it translates to “belt of fire,” she might have been better prepared. Shingles (herpes zoster) is a common viral infection that causes a painful skin rash and can trigger post-herpetic neuralgia (PHN), a form of long-term nerve pain that can last for years. The English name derives from the Latin for “girdle,” as the shingles rash most commonly occurs around the torso, although it can affect the face and eyes as well, as Garner discovered. One in three people will get shingles in their lifetime, but the risk rises sharply after 50 or for anyone with a weakened immune system. The disease is triggered by the reactivation of the varicella zoster virus, the same one that causes chickenpox when it first enters the body. The virus can lie dormant in a …

Shingles vaccines can spare you a painful illness : NPR

Shingles vaccines can spare you a painful illness : NPR

Published by Sam Flores

Pain and itching can be early symptoms of shingles. triocean/iStockphoto/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption triocean/iStockphoto/Getty Images Chad Bernhard knows the pain of shingles firsthand. The New York City-based audio instructor was in his mid-30s when he noticed a rash on the left side of his body and around part of his chest and his back. It itched and it wasn’t long before the itching turned into a sharp, stabbing pain, “kind of like the whole side of your body was being stung by hornets, continuously,” he says. Shingles is a re-activation of the varicella-zoster virus that causes chicken pox. That virus lies dormant in our bodies for years after an infection, lurking in the root of a nerve. When it emerges again, the virus inflames that nerve, says Dr. Maria Carney, a geriatrician and executive director of the Northwell Aging Institute on Long Island. “And then it breaks through the skin and you get blisters and itching and burning and it can be very, very painful.” Around a third of Americans will get shingles …

‘Strong evidence’ of lowered dementia risk: the benefits of shingles vaccination | Well actually

‘Strong evidence’ of lowered dementia risk: the benefits of shingles vaccination | Well actually

Published by Sam Flores

One in three people in the US get shingles. Despite this, US vaccination rates remain low – about 35% of adults over 60, consistent with overall vaccination trends. “We have a vaccine that works really well,” says Dr Andrew Wallach, ambulatory care chief medical officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. “But there is a lot of what I call vaccine fatigue right now.” A growing body of evidence also suggests that shingles vaccination may lower the risk of dementia, stroke and heart attack. Here’s why experts say people should consider the shingles vaccination. What is shingles? Shingles is a viral infection caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox. If you’ve had chickenpox, the virus stays in your body and can reactivate later in life as shingles at any age, though most commonly after 50. While caused by the same virus, shingles and chickenpox are not the same illness. They present differently because, while chickenpox is the initial infection, if and when the virus reactivates, it travels along nerve pathways to the skin, producing …

The Shingles Virus May Be Aging You More Quickly

The Shingles Virus May Be Aging You More Quickly

Published by skeptic

In 2010, a university lecturer from Colorado started experiencing worrying signs of cognitive decline. The lecturer—a 63-year-old viral immunologist whose identity has been kept anonymous—suffered alarming symptoms, including impaired memory, waning concentration, and difficulty reading. While giving lectures to students, he found he had difficulty focusing and was often unable to finish sentences without pausing. But medical tests, including a brain biopsy, failed to get to the source of the problem, and over the next four years, his symptoms continued to progress. His decline would have likely continued unabated had he not heard about a case of encephalitis—serious brain inflammation caused by a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, most commonly associated with childhood chickenpox and, later in life, shingles. Remembering that his own symptoms had been preceded by a brief case of shingles, subsequent tests confirmed the patient had indeed experienced a reactivation of varicella-zoster. And so he decided to treat the problem with a course of acyclovir, an antiviral drug commonly prescribed to shingles patients. To his colleagues’ amazement, the Colorado lecturer’s symptoms quickly …

Shingles vaccine linked to slower biological aging, but brain markers show no change

Shingles vaccine linked to slower biological aging, but brain markers show no change

Published by José Betancourt

Getting a shingles vaccine is a standard recommendation for older adults looking to avoid a painful skin rash, yet new research suggests the benefits may extend much deeper into the body’s cells. A recent analysis indicates that receiving this immunization is associated with a slower rate of biological aging. The study suggests that the vaccine may help dampen systemic inflammation and keep cellular mechanisms looking younger. These findings were published in The Journals of Gerontology, Series A. Most people measure their age by the number of birthdays they have celebrated. Scientists refer to this as chronological age. However, two people born in the same year can have vastly different health profiles. Biological age attempts to measure the actual wear and tear on the body’s tissues and systems. Jung Ki Kim and Eileen M. Crimmins, researchers at the Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California, led this investigation. They sought to understand if the shingles vaccine impacts the fundamental processes that drive aging. Previous research has hinted that certain adult vaccines might lower …