Health
Shingles infection linked to risk of cognitive decline, says study: ‘Long-term implications’
Getting shingles just once could increase the risk of long-term confusion and memory loss, a new study has found.
The study, led by Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, linked the virus to greater chances of “subjective cognitive decline,” according to a Harvard press release.
The findings were published in the journal Alzheimer’s Research & Therapy on Aug. 14.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT THE RASH CAUSED BY A VIRUS
“Subjective cognitive decline” captures early changes in cognition that are noticed before evidence of cognitive impairment shows up on standard neuropsychological tests, explained study author Sharon Curhan, M.D., a physician and epidemiologist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.
It was also associated with a higher risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and dementia.
Getting shingles just once could increase the risk of long-term confusion and memory loss, a new study has found. (iStock)
“Shingles may contribute to dementia risk through neuroinflammation, damage to cerebral blood vessels (cerebral vasculopathy), or direct neuronal damage,” Curhan told Fox News Digital.
In this particular study, the researchers analyzed data from three large cohorts of more than 150,000 women and men over a 13-year period.
The data came from the Nurses’ Health Study, the Nurses’ Health Study II and the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study, according to Curhan.
“We were surprised by the large magnitude and long duration of the increased risk.”
“There was a suggestion that the magnitude of the elevated risk may be greater among those who were not vaccinated with the shingles vaccine,” she said.
The researchers determined that shingles was associated with a greater than 20% higher long-term risk of subjective cognitive decline.
THESE ADULT VACCINES COULD REDUCE SENIORS’ RISK OF ALZHEIMER’S, STUDY FINDS: ‘HEIGHTENED IMMUNE RESPONSE’
“We were surprised by the large magnitude and long duration of the increased risk, and [the fact] that it may be different in women and men,” Curhan told Fox News Digital.
The elevated risk was even higher among those who were genetic carriers of APOE e4 — the gene that increases the risk for Alzheimer’s disease — than men who were not APOE e4 carriers, she noted, but this was not the case in women.
Known medically as herpes zoster, shingles is a painful, blistering rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which is the same virus that causes chickenpox. (iStock)
Although he noted that this is an observational study and does not prove cause and effect, Dr. Marc Siegel, senior medical analyst for Fox News, said he believes “the observation is real.”
“Shingles is a reactivation of a virus that has been hiding inside nerves,” he told Fox News Digital. “It causes inflammation — and when inflammation involves the brain, it is associated with cognitive decline, which can lead to Alzheimer’s.”
DEMENTIA-DEPRESSION CONNECTION: EARLY SADNESS CAN LEAD TO LATER COGNITIVE ISSUES, STUDY FINDS
Previous studies have also looked at the association of herpes zoster and other viruses with Alzheimer’s and the other diseases that cause dementia, according to Heather M. Snyder, PhD, senior vice president of medical and scientific operations at the Alzheimer’s Association in Chicago.
“It is unclear if the virus is present in individuals because of changes associated with the diseases that cause cognitive decline, changes of the immune system, or some sort of cause and effect,” Snyder, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“When inflammation involves the brain, it is associated with cognitive decline.”
Previous research has also shown that a history of shingles is also associated with higher long-term risk of a major cardiovascular event, such as a stroke or heart attack, which could last for many years after infection, Curhan warned.
What to know about shingles
Shingles — medically known as herpes zoster — is a painful, blistering rash caused by the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), which is the same virus that causes chickenpox, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
The rash and blisters usually scab over within seven to 10 days.
The infection is common, affecting about one in every three people in the U.S. in their lifetime.
In addition to the rash, which typically appears as a stripe around one side of the body or face, symptoms can include fever, chills, headache and upset stomach. (iStock)
“A majority of adults have herpes zoster hidden in their brain cells, from prior infection at some previous point in their life,” said Snyder.
In addition to the rash — which typically appears as a stripe around one side of the body or face — symptoms can include fever, chills, headache and upset stomach, according to the CDC.
In some cases (10% to 18%), the virus can lead to complications like long-term nerve pain.
One in every three people in the U.S. will have shingles in their lifetime.
Other rare but serious adverse effects can include vision loss, bacterial infections, pneumonia, brain inflammation (encephalitis), impaired hearing and death, per the CDC.
These complications are most likely to affect those with compromised immune systems.
Antiviral treatments and pain relief medications are available for those with the condition.
Means of prevention
These findings show the “long-term implications” of shingles and highlight the importance of public health efforts to prevent the infection, Curhan noted.
The vaccination has been shown to be 90% effective at preventing the infection and long-term nerve pain in adults age 50 and over who have healthy immune systems, according to the CDC.
Shingles vaccination has been shown to be 90% effective at preventing the infection and long-term nerve pain in adults age 50 and over who have healthy immune systems, according to the CDC. (iStock)
“Given the growing number of Americans at risk for this painful and often disabling disease and the availability of an effective vaccine, shingles vaccination could provide a valuable opportunity to reduce the burden of subsequent health issues due to shingles, such as chronic pain (postherpetic neuralgia), cardiovascular complications, or cognitive decline and dementia,” said Curhan.
The CDC recommends routine shingles vaccination for people age 50 and older, regardless of whether they have had a prior episode of shingles or have had a previous vaccine.
CDC RECOMMENDS ADDITIONAL COVID VACCINE FOR ADULTS 65 AND OVER
“Anyone who may be eligible for the vaccine or who may have questions or concerns about vaccination should consult with a health care provider,” said Curhan.
Siegel echoed the merits of vaccination.
“This study adds to the growing group of evidence that the shingles vaccine (Shingrix) is important for all those over 50 (who have had chicken pox or the varicella vaccine) to decrease the risk of reactivation of the shingles virus and/or complications of active infection,” he said.
Potential limitations
This was an observational study that primarily focused on a White, highly educated population, Curhan noted — which means future studies in other populations could strengthen the research.
“Also, we did not have information on vaccination status in the full study population, so we could only examine this relation among a subset,” she added.
“A majority of adults have herpes zoster hidden in their brain cells, from prior infection at some previous point in their life,” a doctor said. (iStock)
Much of the study period took place before the shingles vaccine became widely available, Curhan said — and even once it was introduced, the uptake was generally low.
The more recent vaccine was not available until after the study.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“As uptake of the newer shingles vaccine increases, additional studies that evaluate whether vaccination status influences the relation of shingles and risk of cognitive decline would be informative,” Curhan said.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
“Therefore, we are currently collecting this information among our participants and hope to conduct these studies in the future.”
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
A new injectable therapy is showing positive results in reducing melanoma throughout a five-year period.
The personalized mRNA cancer therapy, called intismeran autogene, combined with the cancer immunotherapy drug KEYTRUDA (pembrolizumab), is a collaboration between Merck and Moderna.
The results from the phase 2b KEYNOTE-942 study were presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago on May 27.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
After about a five-year follow-up, the combo drug was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone.
The researchers analyzed data from 157 patients with high-risk stage 3 and 4 melanoma whose cancer had been removed via surgery. The participants were split into two groups — one received the combo therapy and the other only received pembrolizumab, according to a press release.
The therapy was found to reduce the risk of melanoma recurrence or death by 49% compared to pembrolizumab alone after a five-year follow-up. (iStock)
The findings revealed that the combination group saw benefits that were “sustained and durable over time.”
Intismeran autogene is designed using mutations identified in a patient’s own tumor, with the intention of teaching the immune system what the cancer looks like so that it can recognize and attack it.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
According to the researchers, intismeran is “well-tolerated” with a “manageable” safety profile.
The most commonly cited side effects of the personalized mRNA vaccine plus KEYTRUDA were fatigue, injection-site pain, chills, fever and headache. The researchers reported no new long-term safety concerns and no severe vaccine-related adverse events.
The combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study — the final confirmation stage.
Patients with late-stage melanoma have a “significant risk” of cancer recurrence, according to an expert. (iStock)
In a Merck press release from January, Kyle Holen, MD, Moderna’s senior vice president and head of development, oncology and therapeutics, noted that this data highlights the “potential of a prolonged benefit … in patients with resected high-risk melanoma.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“We continue to invest in our platform in oncology because of encouraging outcomes like these, which illustrate mRNA’s potential in cancer care,” he said.
Dr. Marjorie Green, senior vice president and head of oncology, global clinical development at Merck Research Laboratories, also commented that for many patients with stage 3 or 4 melanoma, there is a “significant risk of recurrence following surgery.”
Researchers confirmed that the combination therapy is currently being evaluated in a phase 3 study. (iStock)
“As such, demonstrating the longer-term potential of intismeran autogene and KEYTRUDA to reduce the risk of recurrence for certain patients with melanoma is a meaningful milestone,” she said.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
The company cited encouraging five-year follow-up data and pointed to upcoming late-stage INTerpath trial results with Moderna in several hard-to-treat cancers.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
An accidental lab discovery has opened the door to entirely new ways of preventing the flu.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells, SWNS reported.
By targeting the specific molecules the viruses rely on, scientists found that they could block them from entering new cells and halt their replication altogether.
5 THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE GETTING YOUR FLU SHOT, ACCORDING TO DOCTORS
Researchers say these “fundamental insights” into seasonal influenza highlight a clear path toward developing better preventive medications.
“The hope is that fundamental, curiosity-based research like this helps to pave the way for novel strategies to treat and prevent influenza infections,” principal investigator Dr. Emily Bruce, from the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine, said in the SWNS report.
While investigating how influenza replicates, researchers discovered that different flu strains use completely different strategies to infiltrate human cells. (iStock)
While several flu strains cause illness, H1N1 and H3N2 influenza A viruses are the most common. However, current flu tests cannot differentiate between them, and clinical treatments are identical for both.
Although vaccines and antivirals are available, Bruce noted a “dire” need for better medications to stop the virus from spreading cell to xxcell.
“You don’t get sick when a virus is in one cell,” he noted. “You get sick because a virus replicates itself and goes into many more cells.”
HOW LONG YOU’RE CONTAGIOUS WITH THE FLU — AND WHEN IT’S SAFE TO GO OUT
The study, which was published in The Journal of Virology, originally aimed to map how viral RNA segments are transported within cells to create new viral particles.
The team used H1N1 and H3N2 viruses isolated from the nasal passages of positive patients in 2022.
Clinical treatments remain identical for both primary strains of the flu virus. (iStock)
During the investigation, the team unexpectedly stumbled upon a cellular pathway that blocked the virus from entering lung cells, SWNS reported.
RESEARCHERS LOCKED FLU PATIENTS IN A HOTEL WITH HEALTHY ADULTS — NO ONE GOT SICK
The data revealed that when a specific human protein called Rab11B was depleted, H3N2 viruses failed to enter human lung cells. H1N1 viruses were completely unaffected.
Using reverse genetics, the team mapped this defect and uncovered a brand-new, H3N2-specific role for Rab11B during viral entry.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Viruses are like pirates from different countries hijacking someone’s ship,” Bruce said. “Different viruses, like different types of pirates, use different methods to get onboard.”
This discovery challenged the scientific assumption that all flu viruses enter cells the same way. (iStock)
“We had previously thought that all flu viruses used the same way to get into a cell, but we discovered that this is not true,” she went on. “H1N1 and H3N2 need different proteins to get in, and if you get rid of the right protein, a specific virus can’t get in.”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
While these findings identify a critical cellular pathway for viral entry, the study was conducted using isolated cells, the researchers acknowledged.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Further research is needed to determine whether blocking the protein is safe and effective within a live, complex human respiratory system.
Bruce and the team hope to conduct further research to determine whether this Rab11B-dependency is a fundamental property of H3N2, or if it’s a trait unique to currently circulating flu strains.
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
FREQUENT HEARTBURN MAY BE A WARNING SIGN OF A MORE DANGEROUS CONDITION, DOCTOR SAYS
The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
BACTERIA IN YOUR MOUTH MAY TRAVEL TO THE GUT AND TRIGGER STOMACH CANCER, RESEARCH FINDS
After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
-
Lifestyle34 minutes agoHow having zero points in tennis — or ‘love’ — came to sound so sweet
-
Technology46 minutes agoAmazon develops a warehouse robot workers can speak to
-
World49 minutes agoAlbino buffalo nicknamed ‘Donald Trump’ becomes sensation at Bangladesh’s national zoo for its blond hair
-
Politics54 minutes agoThe growing list of controversies threatening Democrat Graham Platner’s Maine Senate bid
-
Health1 hour agoNew cancer vaccine delivers stunning result against one of the deadliest skin cancers
-
Sports1 hour agoFan disrupts NBA Finals Game 1 while trying to take selfie with Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama
-
Business1 hour agoHow Google’s 32-million mosquito project could change California’s battle against dengue
-
Entertainment1 hour agoAfter ‘Barbie’ success, Mattel looks to He-Man for another box-office lift
