The vaccine against herpes zoster reduces the risk of cardiovascular events by 23%, including stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease. The information is from a study with more than one million people and published in the European Heart Journal on Tuesday (6).
According to studythe protective effect offered by the vaccine lasts up to eight years and is greater in men, people under 60 and with unhealthy lifestyles such as smoking, drinking alcohol and being sedentary.
Herpes-zoster is a disease caused by the chord-zoster virus, the same responsible for the chicken pox. It is characterized by skin eruptions that last from two to four weeks.
“Herpes-zoster causes painful rashes and can lead to serious complications, especially in the elderly and people with weak immune system. Previous research shows that, without vaccination, about 30% of people can develop herpes zoster through their lives,” says Dong Keon Yon of the South Kyung Hee medical school in South Korea.
“In addition to the rash, Herpes Zoster was associated with a higher risk of heart problems, so we wanted to find out if vaccination could reduce this risk,” he adds.
The work included 1,271,922 people 50 years or more residents of South Korea. Researchers collected data from 2012 about herpes zoster vaccination and combined this data with information about their cardiovascular health and data on other factors that can influence health, such as age, gender, wealth and lifestyle.
The analyzed vaccine was a living vaccine against the zoster virus, which means it contained a mitigated form of the chord-zoster virus, which causes herpes-zoster. In many countries, this type of vaccine is being replaced by a non-living recombinant vaccine, which means it contains a varicella-zoster virus protein.
According to the study, people who received the vaccine had a 23% lower risk of cardiovascular events, in general, with a 26% lower risk of serious cardiovascular events such as stroke, heart attack or death from heart disease. In addition, they had a 26% lower risk of heart failure and a 22% lower risk of coronary disease.
The protective effect was stronger in two to three years after the Herpes Zoster vaccine administration, but the researchers found that protection lasted up to eight years.
“Our study suggests that the zoster herpes vaccine can help reduce the risk of heart disease, even in people without known risk factors. This means that vaccination can offer health benefits that go beyond herpes zoster prevention,” says Yon.
What is the possible relationship?
Herpes-zoster infection can cause damage to blood vessels, inflammation and clot formation, risk factors for heart disease. By preventing the disease, it is possible to reduce the risk of cardiovascular events, according to the researchers.
The authors also state that the study has identified more significant benefits in younger people, which may be related to a better immune response, and in men, possibly due to differences in vaccine effectiveness.
Despite the findings, the study was done with Asian participants and, therefore, the results may not apply to all populations of different ethnic groups. In addition, work does not establish direct causal relationship, being only observational. Therefore, more studies are needed.
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This content was originally published in a herpes-zoster vaccine reduces by 23% cardiovascular risk, says study on CNN Brazil.
Source: CNN Brasil
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