Shingles is a viral disease that occurs when immunity decreases, leading to severe pain and skin rashes in the nervous system. Recent research shows that a vaccine to prevent this also has effects in preventing cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction and stroke, prompting scientists worldwide to investigate the causes.
Charles Williams, vice president of the global vaccine medical institution sector at the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), noted on the 28th (local time) that based on 19 studies worldwide, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases was reduced by an average of 18% in adults over 18 years old, and by 16% in those over 50. The results of this study are set to be presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) conference in Spain on the 30th.
Shingles occurs when the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox, lies dormant in the nervous system and reactivates when immunity decreases. It is a common disease that leads to skin rashes and severe neuralgia, affecting one in three people at least once in their lifetime. In particular, this virus is known to infiltrate both large and small blood vessels in the brain, increasing the risk of complications related to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke.
This analysis included both the 'recombinant' shingles vaccine made using parts of the virus's proteins and the 'live vaccine' made with live virus. The study found that both types of vaccines effectively lowered the risk of myocardial infarction and stroke.
However, this study was limited to analyzing medical data. The mechanism by which the shingles vaccine prevents cardiovascular diseases has not been revealed. Williams stated, "While a correlation between shingles vaccination and reduced risk of cardiovascular events was confirmed in this analysis, further research is needed to determine if this effect is due to the vaccine itself."
The shingles vaccine's preventive effect on cardiovascular diseases has been confirmed in prior studies as well. In May, a research team led by Professor Yeon Dong-geun at Kyunghee University analyzed medical data from approximately 2.2 million Koreans aged 50 and over between 2012 and 2021. The result showed that those who received the shingles live vaccine had a 23% lower risk of myocardial infarction and stroke on average, with the preventive effects lasting up to eight years. Professor Yeon is also conducting further research to establish the direct causal relationship of how the shingles vaccine prevents cardiovascular diseases.
Cardiovascular diseases still account for the leading cause of death worldwide. More than 3 million people die each year from myocardial infarctions and strokes, placing a significant burden on society and the healthcare system. The scientific community has emphasized the need for new preventive strategies in addition to existing antihypertensive agents, lipid-lowering drugs, and diabetes treatments. Recently, some cardiovascular disease experts have suggested that vaccines should officially be considered as one of the means of preventing cardiovascular diseases.
The effects of the shingles vaccine have also been observed in neurological diseases. In April, researchers from Stanford University in the U.S. tracked residents from Wales born between 1925 and 1942 for seven years and published in the international journal Nature that the risk of dementia for vaccinated individuals was 20% lower than for those unvaccinated.
References
European Heart Journal (2025), DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf230
Nature (2025), DOI: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08800-x