Does the shingles vaccine cut heart disease risk? Mounting evidence suggests a link

Growing evidence suggests that the shingles vaccine may reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes, adding a potential new dimension to the public health benefits of immunisation against the painful viral condition Nature.

Shingles, caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus that also causes chickenpox, affects millions of people worldwide each year and is particularly common in older adults. The condition, which produces a painful rash, has long been associated with an increased short-term risk of cardiovascular events, though the mechanism has not been fully understood Nature.

Multiple recent studies have found that people who receive the shingles vaccine appear to have a lower incidence of heart attack, stroke, and other cardiovascular events compared with unvaccinated individuals. Researchers are now investigating whether the vaccine's protective effect extends beyond its established benefit against shingles itself Nature.

Scientists speculate several biological pathways could explain the link. Shingles is known to trigger inflammation throughout the body, and chronic inflammation is a key driver of atherosclerosis — the build-up of plaque in arteries that leads to heart attacks and strokes. Preventing shingles may therefore reduce this inflammatory burden Nature.

If confirmed in larger clinical trials, the finding could influence public health recommendations and vaccination strategies, particularly for older adults who face the highest risks from both shingles and cardiovascular disease. Researchers caution that more evidence is needed before clinical recommendations can change, and people should continue to follow existing guidelines on cardiovascular prevention Nature.

The research adds to a broader body of work exploring how vaccines against infectious diseases may have health effects beyond their primary targets — a field sometimes described as "vaccine immunology" or "heterologous effects" of immunisation Nature.

**Sources:** Nature