Contracting shingles could increase stroke risk down the road.
Shingles is in the same viral family as chicken pox, and causes an uncomfortable rash. The virus never totally leaves the system, and lies "dormant" in the nerve roots, an American Academy of Neurology news release reported.
People who got the virus between the ages of 18 and 40 were more likely than the general population to suffer a "stroke, heart attack or transient ischemic attack" (TIA) years later. Individuals over the age of 40 that got the virus were more likely to have a heart attack or TIA but not a stroke.
"Anyone with shingles, and especially younger people, should be screened for stroke risk factors," Study author Judith Breuer, MD, of University College London, said. "The shingles vaccine has been shown to reduce the number of cases of shingles by about 50 percent. Studies are needed to determine whether vaccination can also reduce the incidence of stroke and heart attack. However, what is also clear is that factors that increase the risk of stroke also increase the risk of shingles, so we do not know if vaccinating people can reduce the risk of stroke per se."
The researchers compared a group of 106,600 people who had contracted shingles and a group of 13,200 people who had not. The team followed the participants' medical records for an average of six years after their initial diagnosis. Some patients were followed for up to 24 years.
The researchers found study subjects under 40 were about 74 percent more likely to suffer a stroke if they had shingles (other risk factors such as diet and smoking were taken into account). These individuals were also 2.4 times more likely to have a TIA and 50 percent more likely to suffer a heart attack.
"Current recommendations are that anyone 60 years and older should be vaccinated. The role for vaccination in younger individuals with vascular risk factors needs to be determined," Breuer said.
