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Published on: January 24, 2020
Herpes zoster vaccination and cognitive disorders in older adults
Jiyeon Oh1,2, Kyeongmin Lee1,3, Dongjin Yeo1,2
1Center for Digital Health, Medical Science Research Institute, Kyung Hee University Medical Center, Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea.
Introduction:
Previous studies suggested a reduced risk of dementia after live zoster vaccination, but were limited by short follow-up and narrow populations. This study assessed the long-term association between live zoster vaccination and memory disorders and Alzheimer's disease (AD) in a nationwide Korean cohort.
Methods:
This study, using linked national databases, included 2.5 million adults aged ≥ 50 years from 2012 to 2024. After exposure-based overlap weighting, Cox models estimated adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) and restricted mean survival time (RMST).
Results:
Among 1,041,964 participants (mean age, 61.8 years; 46.1% male), vaccination was associated with lower risks of memory disorders (aHR 0.88; 95% confidence interval: 0.87-0.90) and AD (0.75, 0.71-0.78), corresponding to RMST gains of 15.5 and 11.3 days per decade, respectively. Protective effects attenuated over time and were less pronounced among smokers and drinkers.
Discussion:
Live zoster vaccination was associated with delayed onset of cognitive decline, suggesting benefits beyond herpes zoster prevention in aging populations.
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