Having herpes zoster (shingles) boosted the risk of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), but shingles vaccination reduced some risks for older adults, analyses presented at the IDWeekopens in a new tab or window annual meeting suggested.
Among more than 174,000 people with a mean age of 59, those who developed a herpes zoster infection were at greater risk of the following events within 5 years compared with controls catching a common cold:
- MACE (i.e., composite of myocardial infarction, ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke, or cardiac arrest): HR 1.20 (95% CI 1.14-1.26)
- Myocardial infarction: HR 1.27 (95% CI 1.17-1.37)
- Ischemic stroke: HR 1.17 (95% CI 1.09-1.25)
- Venous thromboembolism (VTE): HR 1.14 (95% CI 1.08-1.21)
- All-cause dementia: HR 1.12 (95% CI 1.05-1.19)
- Vascular dementia: HR 1.29 (95% CI 1.05-1.58)
- Mortality: HR 1.29 (95% CI 1.23-1.36)