Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Alzheimer's, cardiovascular, and other chronic diseases; biomarkers, lifestyle, supplements, drugs, and health care.
giftsplash
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:39 pm

Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by giftsplash »

I think I was vaccinated for chickenpox when I was a child (but can’t recall), and trying to determine if it is worth getting another vaccine based on the data coming out about the connection between Alzheimer’s and HSV1.

By the way I tested and currently have the HSV1 antibodies.
circular
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 5565
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:43 am

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by circular »

giftsplash wrote: Mon Aug 01, 2022 8:35 am I think I was vaccinated for chickenpox when I was a child (but can’t recall), and trying to determine if it is worth getting another vaccine based on the data coming out about the connection between Alzheimer’s and HSV1.

By the way I tested and currently have the HSV1 antibodies.
Personally, it was worth it for me. I got shingles rather unexpectedly because I was only in my late 40s. Then I got the shingles vaccine available at that time. Then I got shingles again, although it wasn't too bad. Later I got it a third time but it was very minor. My grandmother had the form of shingles that affects the eye. She was in excruciating pain around her eye thereafter. I still intend to get the newer shingles vaccine when I get a breather.
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
User avatar
Julie G
Mod
Mod
Posts: 9187
Joined: Sat Oct 26, 2013 6:36 pm

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by Julie G »

There has been consistent data coming out that suggest multiple vaccines, including those for shingles, flu, and BCG (tuberculosis) all may protect against dementia. This may help make up your mind: Herpes Zoster Vaccination Reduces Risk of Dementia.
Conclusion: Our finding that HZ vaccination reduces the risk of dementia is consistent with the link between viruses and AD. Herpes viruses-induced reactivation of embryologic pathways silenced at birth could be one of the pathologic processes in Alzheimer's disease.
Tiramisu1984
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 168
Joined: Wed Jan 06, 2016 8:46 pm

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by Tiramisu1984 »

I'm getting mine on Friday. I don't want to be part of the 13% of the population that has long-term pain (assuming I get shingles), and the ALZ research makes it all the more compelling.
giftsplash
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:39 pm

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by giftsplash »

Curious what everyone is thinking on this.

Do you favor Shingrix or Zostavax or both?
NF52
Support Team
Support Team
Posts: 2772
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 9:41 am
Location: Eastern U.S.

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by NF52 »

giftsplash wrote: Tue Aug 02, 2022 8:40 am Curious what everyone is thinking on this.

Do you favor Shingrix or Zostavax or both?
The CDC hasn't always been at the top of they game lately, but this resource on Shingrix lays out what seems to me to be a convincing case. . https://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/vpd/shingl ... ndex.html
My mother had an awful case of shingles in her 70's. Whether it contributed to her cognitive decline I don't know, but I would like to avoid the agony--so I went with the two shots of Shingrix. A sore arm didn't interfere with daily life for me.
Do you have specific concerns about Shingrix?
4/4 and still an optimist!
User avatar
SusanJ
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 3058
Joined: Wed Oct 30, 2013 7:33 am
Location: Western Colorado

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by SusanJ »

giftsplash wrote:Do you favor Shingrix or Zostavax or both?
I did Shingrix. Sailed through the first dose. Got a headache followed by shivering for a couple hours on the second, about 8 hours after the shot. Both are known side effects.
giftsplash
Contributor
Contributor
Posts: 127
Joined: Fri Dec 20, 2013 4:39 pm

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by giftsplash »

Does anyone have any concerns that none of the Alzheimer/vaccine studies were done with Shingrix but with Zostavax which a different type of vaccine?

"FDA licensed Shingrix (GSK), a recombinant shingles vaccine on October 20, 2017; therefore, most Shingrix-vaccinated subjects are not included in the 2017 BRFSS data presented here."

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8627719/
NF52
Support Team
Support Team
Posts: 2772
Joined: Tue Oct 25, 2016 9:41 am
Location: Eastern U.S.

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by NF52 »

giftsplash wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 12:15 pm Does anyone have any concerns that none of the Alzheimer/vaccine studies were done with Shingrix but with Zostavax which a different type of vaccine?

"FDA licensed Shingrix (GSK), a recombinant shingles vaccine on October 20, 2017; therefore, most Shingrix-vaccinated subjects are not included in the 2017 BRFSS data presented here."

Herpes Zoster Vaccine and Risk of Dementia
They used data available through an ongoing CDC study (during COVID, lots of researchers discovered that combing through existing data in government sites was a way to keep their publications going, IMHO) So when this refers to "the interviewer", it's because it appears the CDC study asked an added question on shingles in 2017:

Other studies in outer countries also published in the last decade found that the earlier herpes zoster vaccine is associated with less risk of dementia. Because the HZ vaccine loses effectiveness within 5 years, it seems logical that a 2-dose vaccine that has a projected far longer effectiveness life, would keep our brains safe from shingles inflammation. I didn't see a study on this using Shingrix as a variable associated with functioning level since it was approved in 2017 and suspect that no one has studied this because a 2-dose drug would be expected to perform well and any study wouldn't be likely to have a surprising result or add to clinical recommendations by doctors to take Shingrix after age 50 or so.
4/4 and still an optimist!
circular
Senior Contributor
Senior Contributor
Posts: 5565
Joined: Sun Nov 03, 2013 10:43 am

Re: Still trying to make sense if it is worth APOE4 to get a vaccine for Shingles and VZV?

Post by circular »

NF52 wrote: Wed Aug 03, 2022 1:56 pm I didn't see a study on this using Shingrix as a variable associated with functioning level since it was approved in 2017 and suspect that no one has studied this because a 2-dose drug would be expected to perform well and any study wouldn't be likely to have a surprising result or add to clinical recommendations by doctors to take Shingrix after age 50 or so.
But the original HV vaccine Zostavax contained a weakened varicella-zoster virus rather than using recombinant technology. I would hope they would study the long-term, potentially protective effects on cognition in the recombinant Shingrex too. I might be approaching this wrong though. I'm thinking the specific vaccine technology could play a role in the protective effects, rather than protection being conferred simply by having a lower chance of the virus reactivating. If the vaccine technology plays a role, and if vaccines are heading in the direction of recombinant technology generally, we'd need these studies using recombinant vaccines too. If using a weakened virus somehow contributes to the preventive effect, I'd be happy to get both vaccines. Probably I'm just barking up the wrong tree and it's the prevention of getting shingles to begin with that's protective.

(As it turns out I will get both vaccines, because I got the Zostavax vaccine after getting shingles in my 40s, and I'm now eligible for Shingrex. I wonder of Zostavax and Shingrex could retroactively reduce my increased risk due to having had the infection in the first place. I can only hope.)
ApoE 3/4 > Thanks in advance for any responses made to my posts.
Post Reply