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