Shingles vaccine reduces cardiovascular events

Results from a large South Korean study suggests that persons who are vaccinated to prevent shingles have a 23% lower risk of developing cardiovascular events, including stroke, heart failure, and coronary heart disease, than unvaccinated individuals.

The findings were published on May 5, 2025 in the European Heart Journal .

“There are several reasons why the shingles vaccine may help reduce heart disease, said lead investigator Professor Dong Keon Yon from the Kyung Hee University College of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea. “A shingles infection can cause blood vessel damage, inflammation and clot formation that can lead to heart disease. By preventing shingles, vaccination may lower these risks. Our study found stronger benefits in younger people, probably due to a better immune response, and in men, possibly due to differences in vaccine effectiveness.”

The study included 1,271,922 subjects aged 50 or older (mean age 61.3 years), 548,986 (43.2%) of whom were male.

The median follow-up time was 6 years.

The researchers compared the vaccination data with findings related to cardiovascular health, age, sex, wealth and lifestyle.

They used a live zoster vaccine containing a weakened form of the varicella zoster virus that causes shingles.

The primary outcome was the risk of cardiovascular diseases based on International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision code diagnosis.

The investigators reported that subjects who received the vaccine had a 23% overall lower risk of cardiovascular events, a 26% lower risk of major cardiovascular events (a stroke, heart attack or death from heart disease), a 26% lower risk of heart failure and a 22% lower risk of coronary heart disease.

While the protection effect was strongest in the two to three years after vaccination, it lasted for up to eight years.

The decrease in cardiovascular disease risk was greater for males, subjects aged <60 years, those with unhealthy lifestyle habits, those from low-income households and rural residents.

Yon said, “Our study suggests that the shingles vaccine may help lower the risk of heart disease, even in people without known risk factors. This means that vaccination could offer health benefits beyond preventing shingles.