Numerous studies have indicated an increased risk of stroke and myocardial infarction (MI) following herpes zoster (HZ); however, the impact of vaccination remains uncertain, wrote researchers in a global analysis.
To assess the effectiveness of HZ (shingles) vaccination with recombinant zoster vaccine (RZV) or zoster vaccine live-attenuated (ZVL) against cardiovascular (CV) events in adults, numerous phase 3 and observational studies were assessed.
Across these studies, any HZ vaccination (RZV or ZVL) was associated with a significantly lower risk of stroke and MI, versus no HZ vaccination.
The pooled RR of 0.82 (95% CI 0.76–0.87) in adults ≥18 years and RR of 0.84 (0.82–0.87) in adults ≥50 years.
Thus, vaccine effectiveness was 18% (13–24%) and 16% (13–18%) in preventing CV events, respectively.
RZV vaccination was associated with a significantly lower risk of stroke and MI versus no HZ vaccination: pooled RR 0.79 (0.65–0.97) in adults ≥18 years and RR 0.79 (0.64–0.97) in adults ≥50 years, with a vaccine effectiveness of 21% (3–35%) and 21% (3–36%), respectively.
These researchers concluded that HZ vaccination was associated with a significantly lower rate of cardiovascular events.
Study author Dr. Charles Williams, Global Associate Medical Director for Vaccines at GSK, commented in a media release, “Further research studies are now needed to find out whether this association can be attributed to an effect of herpes zoster vaccination.”
This assessment is scheduled to be presented on August 30, 2025.
As of August 29, 2025, shingles vaccination services are offered at most pharmacies and clinics in the United States and the United Kingdom.