Why would people who underwent shingles vaccination in later life exhibit a lower risk of later developing dementia? Firstly, one has to elect to take this vaccine, and so this could be selecting for people who tend to take better care of their health, and thus are in better shape than their peers, on average. Secondly, vaccination produces an effect called trained immunity that makes people incrementally more resistant to the chronic inflammation of aging. Lastly, there is some evidence for persistent viruses such as the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles to contribute to the onset and progression of dementia, for reasons yet to…
Shingles Vaccination Correlates with Lower Dementia Risk
Why would people who underwent shingles vaccination in later life exhibit a lower risk of later developing dementia? Firstly, one has to elect to take this vaccine, and so this could be selecting for people who tend to take better care of their health, and thus are in better shape than their peers, on average. Secondly, vaccination produces an effect called trained immunity that makes people incrementally more resistant to the chronic inflammation of aging. Lastly, there is some evidence for persistent viruses such as the varicella-zoster virus that causes shingles to contribute to the onset and progression of dementia, for reasons yet to…