Shingrix Vaccine Cuts Risk of Herpes Zoster Ophthalmicus, Heart Attack, and Stroke in Adults 50+: Study

Using sex, age, race/ethnicity, and index date (date of second dose among vaccinated; date of unvaccinated match assigned same date), this research matched adults ≥50 YoA who received 2 doses of RZV 4 weeks–6 months apart between 01 April 2018 and 31 December 2020 1:4 to RZV-unvaccinated individuals.

The follow-up period began on the index date and terminated on December 31, 2022, or upon receiving the zoster vaccination, membership termination, or death, whichever occurred first. ICD-10 codes were used to identify inpatient AMI and stroke, whereas natural language analysis of clinical notes was used to identify HZO. 

The median age was 68 years (range: 50, 108), 59.0% of the 102,766 2-dose RZV-vaccinated and 411,064 unvaccinated people were female, and 57.1% were non-Hispanic White.

When comparing RZV-vaccinated and unvaccinated persons, the aHRs (95% CI) for inpatient stroke, hospitalized AMI, and HZO were 0.575 (0.533, 0.619), 0.720 (0.588, 0.881), and 0.271 (95% CI: 0.222, 0.330), respectively. 72.9% (67.0%, 77.8%) was the adjusted RZV efficacy against HZO. Overall, two RZV dosages were linked to a decreased incidence of HZO, AMI, and stroke in persons aged ≥50 years.

Source:

Rayens, E., Sy, L. S., Qian, L., Wu, J., Ackerson, B. K., Luo, Y., Zheng, C., Cheng, Y., Vega Daily, L. I., Song, J., Takhar, H. S., Ku, J. H., Cohen, R. A., Yun, H., Oraichi, D., Seifert, H., & Tseng, H.-F. (2025). Adjuvanted recombinant zoster vaccine is effective against herpes zoster ophthalmicus, and is associated with lower risk of acute myocardial infarction and stroke in adults aged ≥50 years. Clinical Infectious Diseases: An Official Publication of the Infectious Diseases Society of America. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaf440