Category: Research | Cardiovascular Health
Written By: Team Pharmacally
Medically Reviewed By: Dr. Rahul Gaikwad, MBBS, MD-General Medicine
Shingles are also called herpes zoster, is a painful skin rash caused by the reactivation of the chickenpox virus in later phase of life. Beyond the rash and nerve pain, shingles has long been suspected of precipitating the risk of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks and strokes. Now, new evidence presented at the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025 and all details of the study is published in European Heart Journal suggests that vaccination against shingles may also protect the heart, and the benefit lasts for up to eight years.
The evidence has been surfaced in large-scale South Korean study headed by Professor Dong Keon Yon at Kyung Hee University College of Medicine in Seoul, South Korea which believed to be one of the biggest trials. More than 1.27 million people have been participated and found that those who received the shingles vaccine had a significantly lower risk of major heart related events compared to those who did not. The protective effect was strongest in the first year after vaccination but continued for up to eight years.
Study Design and Methods
The study data pulled from the Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database, which covers almost the entire population of South Korea. A total of 1,271,922 adults aged 50 years or older were included. The study has gathered data since 2012 onward and up to 12 years. The vaccine administered throughout study period in Korea and has been considered for correlation with cardiovascular disease was a live zoster vaccine, which contains a weakened version of the varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes shingles. Participants were divided into two groups: those who received the shingles vaccine and those who did not. Both groups were followed for up to eight years. Researchers used propensity score matching and balancing factors such as age, sex, smoking status, alcohol use, physical activity, body mass index, diabetes, and hypertension to ensure fairness in trial. The main outcomes were major cardiovascular events, defined as heart attack (myocardial infarction), stroke, and cardiovascular-related death. Incidence rates were calculated per 1,000 person-years, and hazard ratios were adjusted for comorbidities and socioeconomic factors.
Results
The findings showed a clear and long-term reduction in cardiovascular risk among vaccinated individual cohort. In the first year after vaccination, risk of heart attack and stroke dropped by around 23% compared to non-vaccinated cohort. The risk of major events such as stroke, heart attack, or death from heart disease was reduced by 26%, while the risk of heart failure fell by 26% and coronary heart disease by 22%. This benefit continued over time, with significant protection still observed up to eight years. The reduction in risk was consistent across age groups, men and women, and people with or without concomitant health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure. At the end, the findings of the study support the impression that shingles vaccination is not only protective against painful rashes but also contributes to long-term heart health.
Possible Biological Mechanisms
Scientists believe that shingles infection triggers widespread inflammation and damages blood vessels, increasing the risk of clot formation, heart attacks, and strokes. By preventing shingles outbreaks, vaccination may additionally reduce this inflammatory burden and protect the cardiovascular system. Another explanation is that vaccination itself ‘primes’ the immune system in ways that improve overall resilience, reducing the risk of virus-related vascular injury.
Public Health Implications
These results suggest shingles vaccination could play a dual role preventing a painful and restricting infection and at the same time also acting as a cardiovascular prevention strategy. As it is proven that heart disease is one of the world’s leading cause of death, even a smallest reduction in risk across millions of people could have a major impact.
The study also emphases that shingles vaccine can be one of the recommendations in older adults and those with existing cardiovascular risk factors beyond the use as only shingles prevention.
The study lead Professor Dong Keon Yon added “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.”
Limitations and Drawbacks
While the results are promising, there are important caveats
The cohort included only South Korean adults, meaning the findings may not directly apply to populations outside Asia. Genetics, healthcare access, and lifestyle differences could affect results.
Even though the researchers took many things into consideration like age, lifestyle, or other health conditions, this kind of study can only show a strong link and not complete evidence that the vaccine directly prevents heart disease.
The data were drawn from routine health records, and details on which shingles vaccine formulation was used (live-attenuated vs recombinant) were not always specified. This makes it harder to know if one vaccine type offers stronger heart protection.
Conclusion
This study is considered to be the largest study to date shows that shingles vaccine is connected with a significantly lower risk of cardiovascular disease, with benefits lasting up to eight years. However, the research was conducted in an Asian population and needs confirmation from other parts of the world or different genetics cohort. It will subsequently add to evidence that vaccines can provide unexpected protection beyond infection control.
If the evidence grows with confirmation from different studies, shingles vaccine can act as double sword especially in older adults where getting the shingles vaccine may not only prevent a painful rash but could also offer protection against cardiovascular disease, heart attacks and strokes.
References
European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Congress 2025. Presentation: Shingles vaccination and long-term risk of cardiovascular disease. Available at: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/shingles-vaccine-lowers-the-risk-of-heart-disease-for-up-to-eight-years
Sooji Lee, Kyeongmin Lee, Jiyeon Oh, Dong Keon Yon et al, Live zoster vaccination and cardiovascular outcomes: a nationwide, South Korean study, European Heart Journal, Volume 46, Issue 30, 7 August 2025, Pages 2991–3002, https://doi.org/10.1093/eurheartj/ehaf230
Nature News. Shingles jab may cut risk of heart disease, major Korean study shows. August 2025. https://www.nature.com/ (Accessed August 2025).
The Guardian. Shingles vaccine linked with lower heart attack and stroke risk, research finds. August 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/ (Accessed August 2025).