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A single bout of shingles may increase the risk of long-term confusion and memory loss, a new study finds.
The study, led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, linked the virus to an increased likelihood of “subjective cognitive decline,” according to a Harvard press release.
The results of this study were published in the August 14 issue of the academic journal Alzheimer’s Disease Research and Treatment.
What you need to know about viral rashes
“Subjective cognitive decline” captures early changes in cognitive function that can be noticed before evidence of cognitive impairment shows up on standard neuropsychological tests, explained study author Sharon Curhan, M.D., a physician and epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
It was also found to increase the risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.
A single bout of shingles may increase your risk of long-term confusion and memory loss, a new study finds. (iStock)
“Shingles may contribute to dementia risk through neuroinflammation, damage to the blood vessels in the brain (cerebrovascular disease), or direct neuronal damage,” Curhan told Fox News Digital.
In this particular study, researchers analyzed data from three large cohorts of more than 150,000 women and men over a 13-year period.
Curhan said the data came from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study.
“We were surprised at the magnitude and longevity of the increased risk.”
“There has been some suggestion that the degree of increased risk may be even greater in people who have not received the shingles vaccine,” she said.
The researchers determined that shingles increases the long-term risk of subjective cognitive decline by more than 20%.
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“I was surprised at how large and long-lasting the increased risk was. [the fact] It may be different for women and men,” Kahan told Fox News Digital.
She noted that the elevated risk was even higher in gene carriers of APOE e4, a gene that increases risk for Alzheimer’s disease, than in men who were not APOE e4 carriers, but not in women.
Shingles, medically known as shingles, is a painful blistering rash caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. (iStock)
Dr. Mark Siegel, a senior medical analyst for Fox News, noted that this is an observational study and does not prove causation, but said he believes “the observations are real.”
“Shingles is a reactivation of a virus that was dormant in the nerves,” he told Fox News Digital, “which causes inflammation. If inflammation spreads to the brain, it can lead to cognitive decline and potentially Alzheimer’s.”
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Previous studies have also looked at links between shingles and other viruses and Alzheimer’s and other diseases that cause dementia, said Dr. Heather M. Snyder, senior vice president of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago.
“It’s unclear whether the presence of the virus in an individual is a result of changes that are associated with the disease causing cognitive decline, or changes in the immune system, or some other causal relationship,” Snyder, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“When inflammation affects the brain, it can lead to cognitive decline.”
Previous studies have also found that a history of shingles is associated with an increased long-term risk of serious cardiovascular disease, such as stroke and heart attack, which can last years after infection, Curhan warned.
What you need to know about shingles
According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shingles (medically known as herpes zoster) is a painful, blistering rash caused by the varicella zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox.
The rash and blisters usually scab over within 7 to 10 days.
The infection is common, affecting approximately one in three people in the United States during their lifetime.
The rash usually appears as stripes on one side of the body or around the face, while symptoms include fever, chills, headache and upset stomach. (iStock)
“The vast majority of adults have shingles harbored in their brain cells from an infection at some point in their lives,” Snyder said.
In addition to a rash (which usually appears as stripes on one side of the body or around the face), people may also experience symptoms such as fever, chills, headache and upset stomach, according to the CDC.
In some cases (10% to 18%), the virus can cause complications such as long-term nerve pain.
One in three people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime.
Other rare but serious side effects include vision loss, bacterial infections, pneumonia, encephalitis, hearing loss and death, according to the CDC.
These complications most affect people with weakened immune systems.
Antiviral treatments and painkillers are available for patients with the disease.
Prevention measures
These findings point to the “long-term effects” of shingles, and highlight the importance of public health efforts to prevent infection, Dr. Curhan said.
The vaccine has been shown to be 90% effective at preventing infection and long-term nerve pain in adults over 50 with healthy immune systems, according to the CDC.
According to the CDC, the shingles vaccine has been shown to be 90% effective at preventing infection and long-term nerve pain in adults over 50 with healthy immune systems. (iStock)
“Given the growing number of Americans at risk for this painful and often disabling disease and the availability of an effective vaccine, shingles vaccination may represent a valuable opportunity to reduce the burden of subsequent health problems from shingles, including chronic pain (postherpetic neuralgia), cardiovascular complications, and cognitive decline and dementia,” Curhan said.
The CDC recommends routine shingles vaccination for people age 50 and older, regardless of whether they have a history of shingles or have been vaccinated.
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“Anyone who may be eligible for the vaccine or has questions or concerns about getting the vaccine should talk to their health care provider,” Kahan said.
Siegel also emphasized the benefits of getting vaccinated.
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“This study adds to a growing body of evidence that the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) is important for all people aged 50 and older who have had chickenpox or the varicella vaccine to reduce the risk of shingles virus reactivation and complications of active infection,” he said.
Potential limitations
This was an observational study of a primarily white, highly educated population, Curhan noted, meaning future studies in other populations could strengthen the findings.
“Also, we didn’t have information on the vaccination status of the entire study population, so we were only able to explore this relationship in a subset of the population,” she added.
“The vast majority of adults have shingles harbored in their brain cells due to an infection at some point in their lives,” the doctor said. (iStock)
Most of the study period took place before the shingles vaccine was widely available, and uptake rates were generally low even after the vaccine was introduced, Curhan said.
The newer vaccine was not available until the study was completed.
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“As uptake of the new shingles vaccine increases, additional studies evaluating whether vaccination status influences the relationship between shingles and risk of cognitive decline would be beneficial,” Curhan said.
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“So we’re currently collecting this information from participants and hope to conduct these studies in the future.”
