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Shingles vaccine may help delay dementia: Study
Context
A recent study published in Nature Medicine suggests that getting vaccinated against shingles may help delay the onset of dementia. Shingles, a painful condition more common in older adults, is caused by the reactivation of the herpes zoster virus, which also causes chickenpox.
What is Shingles?
- Cause: Shingles is caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus responsible for chickenpox.
- Symptoms: It typically appears as a painful, itchy rash on one side of the body, often in a single stripe of blisters. Shingles can also lead to severe complications like long-term nerve pain called postherpetic neuralgia (PHN).
- Risk: The virus remains in the body after a chickenpox infection and can reactivate later in life to cause shingles.
- Vaccines:
- Zostavax: An older vaccine introduced about 18 years ago.
- Shingrix: A newer vaccine increasingly used, particularly in the UK.
What Is Dementia?
- Dementia is a term for a decline in memory, language, problem-solving, and other cognitive abilities severe enough to interfere with daily life.
- Symptoms: It involves a decline in thinking skills, behavior changes, and impacts on relationships and daily functioning.
- Types of Dementia:
- Alzheimer's Disease: Accounts for 60-80% of dementia cases. It is characterized by progressive memory loss and cognitive decline.
- Vascular Dementia: Caused by microscopic bleeding and blockages in the brain's blood vessels.
- Mixed Dementia: Involves brain changes associated with multiple types of dementia simultaneously.
- Other Conditions: Some conditions, such as thyroid problems and vitamin deficiencies, can cause symptoms of cognitive impairment but are not classified as dementia.
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