Common vaccine linked to 24% lower dementia risk in older adults

A recent study led by researchers at Brown University appears to strengthen the link between shingles vaccination and a reduced risk of dementia diagnoses in older adults .

The study, published in The Annals of Internal Medicine, evaluated electronic health records and Medicare claims for more than 509,926 U.S. adults 66 and older who were admitted to skilled nursing facilities.

Individuals who received at least one dose of the recombinant shingles vaccine, commercially known as Shingrix, experienced a 24% relative reduction in dementia risk over a four-year period compared to people who did not receive the shot, the researchers found.

ALZHEIMER'S RISK MAY BE 35% LOWER WITH COMMON MENOPAUSE TREATMENT, STUDY FINDS However, the findings show an association and do not prove that the vaccine directly prevents dementia, the researchers noted.

Dr.

Ajeet Sodhi, a clinical neurologist and neuro-interventionalist in Orlando, Florida, noted that while the finding is "remarkable," it builds upon a growing foundation of scientific literature rather than standing alone.

"This is maybe the third or fourth study, and they all came to the same conclusion," Sodhi, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.

"It seems that by giving patients the shingles vaccine called Shingrix, in the next couple of years, we see a clinically significant decline in the development of dementia." Researchers have proposed several possible explanations for the association, including the vaccine's role in preventing shingles and its potential complications.

The virus has also been linked to vascular events such as stroke, which can contribute to vascular dementia.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES Sodhi noted that recent medical literature continues to support larger cardiovascular benefits as well.

"In addition to the study that we're talking about today, there was a study published just this week that showed the shingles vaccine results in a clinically significant reduction in the incidence of both cardiovascular disease and cerebrovascular disease," he told Fox News Digital.

"So that's heart attacks and strokes." The neurologist emphasized that while the data shows a strong correlation, the vaccine is not currently classified as a direct therapeutic treatment for cognitive decline.

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER "It's not at this time considered a treatment," he noted.

"This association is ... very, very suggestive, but we can't say one-to-one it proves that this treats dementia.