Overview
- Researchers reported a 29.5% reduction in dementia-related mortality over nine years among dementia patients who received the Zostavax shingles vaccine.
- Vaccination was associated with a 3.1 percentage-point drop in new mild cognitive impairment diagnoses, with eligibility linked to a 1.5-point reduction.
- The study used a regression discontinuity design at a Sept. 2, 1933 birth-date cutoff in Wales, comparing adjacent cohorts in linked SAIL health records.
- Protective associations were concentrated in women, while effects in men were not statistically significant in this analysis.
- Findings pertain to the discontinued live Zostavax vaccine rather than the currently recommended Shingrix, and researchers call for replication and randomized trials.