Shingles Vaccine Linked to Reduced Risk of Dementia, Study Says

WHO:

Boston Globe - Kaleen Hayes, lead author and assistant professor at Brown University

Boston Globe - GlaxoSmithKline, the maker of Shingrix

Boston Globe - Dr. Sharon Curhan, epidemiologist at Mass General Brigham and Harvard Medical School

Boston Globe - Dr. Richard Dupee, primary care physician and chief of geriatrics service at Tufts Medical Center

WHAT:

Boston Globe - A study found that elderly nursing home residents who received at least one dose of the shingles vaccine Shingrix were 24 percent less likely to develop dementia over a four-year period compared to those who were not vaccinated.

Boston Globe - The study analyzed health records and Medicare claims from more than half a million people age 66 and older who entered nursing homes for short- or long-term care between 2017 and 2022.

Boston Globe - 18.8 percent of vaccinated individuals developed dementia within four years compared to 24.6 percent of the unvaccinated group.

Boston Globe - The shingles vaccine has been shown to be 97 percent effective in preventing the disease in healthy adults aged 50 to 69 years old.

Boston Globe - A previous study of over 100 million people in the US found that both Shingrix and Zostavax reduced the chances of getting shingles and dementia, with a 27 to 33 percent lower risk of developing dementia over three years after vaccination.

WHERE:

Boston Globe - The study focused on nursing home residents in the United States.

WHEN:

Boston Globe - The Shingrix vaccine became available in the US in 2017.

Boston Globe - The study's results were published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

WHY:

Boston Globe - Experts suggest that getting shingles may increase the risk of cognitive decline, so preventing it could help reduce dementia risk.

Boston Globe - There is growing evidence that supports that shingles vaccination may reduce the risk of developing cognitive decline and dementia.

HOW:

Boston Globe - The researchers used a method designed to mimic a randomized clinical trial to compare vaccinated individuals to those who were not vaccinated.

(UPDATED June 18, 2026 23:40 UTC)

A new study has revealed that elderly nursing home residents who received at least one dose of the shingles vaccine Shingrix were 24 percent less likely to develop dementia over a four-year period compared to those who were unvaccinated. The research, which analyzed health records and Medicare claims from over half a million individuals aged 66 and older, found that 18.8 percent of vaccinated individuals developed dementia within four years, in contrast to 24.6 percent of the unvaccinated group. Experts believe that preventing shingles could help reduce the risk of cognitive decline, and the study's findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal Annals of Internal Medicine.