A recent scientific study has found that vaccination against shingles is associated with a reduced risk of death from dementia. The finding highlights the broader health benefits of preventive vaccination, especially among older adults.
What is Shingles Disease?
Shingles is a viral infection that causes a painful skin rash, often accompanied by blisters. It occurs due to the reactivation of a dormant virus within the body.
Cause of Shingles
Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus, which is the same virus responsible for chickenpox. After a person recovers from chickenpox, the virus does not leave the body. Instead, it remains inactive in nerve cells and can reactivate later in life.
The likelihood of reactivation increases when the immune system weakens, which may occur due to advancing age, illness, or the use of immunosuppressive medications.
Symptoms of Shingles
Shingles typically presents as a painful rash, often appearing as a band or stripe of fluid-filled blisters on one side of the body, commonly on the torso, neck, or face. Other symptoms may include itching, tingling, burning sensation, headache, fever, and sensitivity to light or touch.
Transmission of Shingles
Shingles itself is not contagious. However, the varicella-zoster virus can be transmitted from a person with shingles to someone who has never had chickenpox, potentially causing chickenpox in the exposed individual.
Risk Groups
Shingles is most commonly seen in people over the age of 50 and in individuals with weakened immune systems, such as those undergoing cancer treatment or living with chronic illnesses.
Prevention and Treatment
A vaccine known as Shingrix is available to prevent shingles and its complications. Vaccination significantly reduces the risk of developing the disease and may also lower the chances of associated long-term health outcomes, such as neurological complications.
Significance of the Recent Study
The recent findings linking the shingles vaccine to a lower risk of dementia-related mortality underline the importance of preventive healthcare and adult immunisation, particularly in ageing populations.
Dementia
Dementia is a progressive neurological condition that leads to a gradual decline in cognitive abilities beyond what is expected from normal ageing. It affects functions such as memory, thinking, understanding, learning, language, and judgment. Dementia impairs a person’s ability to perform daily activities and live independently. However, it does not affect consciousness, meaning the individual remains awake and aware.