PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

New systematic review and meta-analysis shows an association between shingles vaccination and lower risk of heart attack and stroke 

2025-08-28
(Press-News.org) Key take-aways   

A new global systematic review and meta-analysis has shown an association between herpes zoster vaccination, used to prevent shingles, and a statistically significant lower risk of heart attack and stroke 

Herpes zoster vaccination was associated with an 18% and 16% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events in adults 18 and 50 years or older, respectively  

The findings are encouraging, but more research is needed to understand whether there may be a causal connection   

  

Madrid, Spain – 28 August 2025: A new global systematic literature review and meta-analysis has shown that herpes zoster vaccination, used to prevent shingles, is associated with a statistically significant lower risk of heart attack and stroke.   

  

The study is the first global systematic literature review and meta-analysis to comprehensively assess the evidence regarding an association between herpes zoster vaccination and cardiovascular events.   

  

The results are being presented today (08:15 CEST, 30th of August, 2025) at the 2025 European Society of Cardiology Congress in Madrid, Spain. Study author, Dr Charles Williams, Global Associate Medical Director, Global Medical Affairs – Vaccines at GSK, said: “We looked at the currently available evidence, and found that in this analysis, vaccination against herpes zoster was associated with a lower risk of cardiovascular events, such as heart attacks or strokes. Further research studies are now needed to find out whether this association can be attributed to an effect of herpes zoster vaccination,” Dr Williams continued.  

The study found that herpes zoster vaccination, with either the recombinant herpes zoster vaccine (RZV) or the live attenuated zoster vaccine (ZVL), was associated with a statistically significant lower risk of stroke and heart attack compared to no herpes zoster vaccination, in both adults ≥18 years, and adults ≥50 years. The research found that vaccination against shingles, with either RZV or ZVL, was associated with an 18% and 16% reduction in risk of cardiovascular events in adults 18 and 50 years or older, respectively. In studies that reported on cardiovascular event absolute risk, the absolute rate difference ranged from 1.2 to 2.2 fewer events per 1,000 person-years. 

  

The global systematic literature review was conducted using three scientific literature databases, and a meta-analysis was conducted of phase 3 randomized controlled trials and observational studies assessing the effect of herpes zoster vaccination on cardiovascular events. The meta-analysis inclusion criteria followed Cochrane guidelines (1).   

  

19 studies were included in the review; eight observational studies and one randomized controlled trial (a pooled safety analysis of two Phase 3 randomized trials; not designed or powered to evaluate the effects of herpes zoster vaccination against cardiovascular events), met the meta-analysis inclusion criteria for herpes zoster vaccination effectiveness on cardiovascular events. Across all nine studies, 53.3% of participants were male. Seven studies reported mean ages from 53.6 years to 74.0 years.  

  

“While our findings are encouraging, there are some limitations to the available data that we studied,” Dr Williams explained. “Almost all the evidence came from observational studies, which are prone to bias and shouldn’t be used to infer causality. All the studies used in the meta-analysis aimed primarily to investigate the use of herpes zoster vaccine to prevent shingles in the general population, which may limit the ability to generalise this research to people with a higher risk of cardiovascular events. This demonstrates the need for more research in this area.”   

  

Previous research has shown a transient increased risk of stroke and heart attack following shingles (2), but it is not confirmed whether vaccination against the disease could reduce cardiovascular risk.   

  

Shingles, also known as herpes zoster, is caused by a reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus (VZV), the same virus that causes chickenpox. After primary infection, the virus remains dormant within the nervous system and reactivates, causing shingles in around one in three individuals during their lifetime (3–5). VZV can also invade large and small blood vessels in the head, which can lead to inflammation and vascular remodelling. It is thought that this may lead to complications such as stroke, following the reactivation of VZV (3,6–8).   

  

ENDS 

 

This press release accompanies an abstract at ESC Congress 2025.  

 

It does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the European Society of Cardiology. 

Funding: This research was industry funded by GSK.    

  

Disclosures: Charles Williams is employed by GSK.  

  

References and notes:  

 

1 Higgins 2024 

2 Li 2025  

3 Harpaz 2008 

4 Mueller 2008  

5 Bollaerts 2017 

6 Marra 2017  

7 Erskine 2017  

8 Lu 2023  

  

 

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for over 3 million deaths annually (ESC 2023 Atlas Project Report), and it continues to put significant strain on society and healthcare systems. Expanding prevention strategies beyond current approaches is thought to be essential to reduce the overall burden of cardiovascular disease.  

  

The recent 2025 ESC clinical consensus statement on vaccination as a new form of cardiovascular disease prevention states that vaccines should be considered as the fourth pilar of medical cardiovascular disease prevention besides antihypertensives, lipid-lowering drugs and medications that treat diabetes.   

 

about the effects of a vaccine for shingles from a European Heart Journal press release, published in May 2025: https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/shingles-vaccine-lowers-the-risk-of-heart-disease-for-up-to-eight-years 

 

The abstract « Herpes zoster vaccine effectiveness against cardiovascular events - a systematic literature review and meta-analysis » will be presented at the session Risk factors and prevention (1) which takes place on 30 August from 08:15 to 09:00 am CEST at Station 10 - Research Gateway 

 

ESC Press Office  
Tel: +33 661401884    
Email: press@escardio.org   

The hashtag for ESC Congress 2025 is #ESCCongress  

Follow us on LinkedIn @European Society of Cardiology News 

Journalists are invited to become accredited and register here. 

Check out the ESC Media and Embargo Policy. 

About ESC Congress 2025 

It is the world’s largest gathering of cardiovascular professionals, disseminating ground-breaking science both onsite in Madrid and online – from 29 August to 1 September 2025. Explore the scientific programme. More information is available from the ESC Press Office at press@escardio.org. 

  

About the European Society of Cardiology 

The ESC brings together healthcare professionals from more than 150 countries, working to advance cardiovascular medicine and help people to live longer, healthier lives. 

 

END


ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Food for thought: Using food delivery services to provide rapid cardiac arrest response and potentially save lives

2025-08-28
Inspired by an urgent need to improve timely defibrillation for out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) in dense urban settings, a team of investigators developed a simulation that explored the potential of leveraging an existing food delivery network in Taipei City, Taiwan, to help address this challenge. Their findings in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology, published by Elsevier, suggest that deploying food delivery riders to deliver defibrillation may reduce automated external defibrillator (AED) response times by approximately three minutes—about 50% faster than a traditional emergency medical system (EMS)—and might be particularly beneficial during peak ...

College drinking linked to poor academics, mental health for those around the drinker: Study

2025-08-28
By Paul Candon PISCATAWAY, NJ – It’s well known that alcohol misuse can harm not only drinkers themselves but also those around them. Now, a new report in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs shows that, among college students, harms such as lower grades, mental distress and even suicidal thoughts are linked to being exposed to a drinker’s poor behavior. “We often think of alcohol’s harms as physical or social, but this was the first study to assess academic harms from others’ drinking, like having to drop a class or take on extra work,” says lead researcher Pamela ...

Nearly 80% of whale sharks in this marine tourism hotspot have human-caused scars

2025-08-28
Whale sharks, the largest living fish species, are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Over the past 75 years, populations have declined by more than 50% worldwide, and by up to 63% in the Indo-Pacific region. Because whale sharks take up to 30 years to become sexually mature, populations can only recover slowly from threats like hunting for fins, meat, and oil, habitat loss, and entanglement in fishing nets. Now, an international group of researchers has shown that in the Bird’s Head Seascape off Indonesian West Papua, 62% of whale sharks have scars and injuries from preventable ...

Spider uses trapped fireflies as glowing bait to attract more prey

2025-08-28
Ecologists have observed a species of nocturnal spider attracting prey to its web using the bioluminescent beacons of already trapped fireflies. This rare example of a predator exploiting its prey’s mating signal for its own gain is documented in the British Ecological Society’s Journal of Animal Ecology. Researchers at Tunghai University, Taiwan have observed sheet web spiders Psechrus clavis capturing fireflies in their webs and leaving them there while they emitted bioluminescent light for up to an hour. The researchers even observed the spiders going to check on the captured fireflies from time to time. Intrigued ...

How AI can build bridges between nations, if diplomats use it wisely

2025-08-28
Dr Donald Kilburg, who was a member of the US Department of State, says the technology is already shaping work for the likes of embassy officials whose jobs are to protect their country’s interests abroad. But the US army veteran and retired professor warns that algorithms cannot ‘read the room’, and can’t replicate the ‘empathy, intuition and deep cultural understanding’ of human diplomats. He says: “AI can streamline diplomacy, but only humans bring the empathy and intuition that make negotiations ...

80% of Americans don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often has no symptoms

2025-08-28
A recent survey commissioned by The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James) focused on Americans’ awareness of the signs and symptoms of prostate cancer. The survey results show most people (80%) don’t know early-stage prostate cancer often presents with no physical symptoms, typically only diagnosed with a blood test. Prostate cancer affects more than 300,000 adults in the United States ...

Researchers engineer ureter tissue from stem cells, paving way for transplantable kidneys

2025-08-28
Scientists at Kumamoto University have made a major breakthrough in regenerative medicine by successfully creating functional ureter tissue—organoids resembling the urinary tract—from pluripotent stem cells. The achievement brings researchers one step closer to developing transplantable kidneys capable of producing and expelling urine. The ureter, a critical tube that carries urine from the kidneys to the bladder, has long been missing from lab-grown kidney models. Without it, kidney ...

Strong, evidence-based leadership at CDC essential in wake of director’s exit, says SHEA

2025-08-28
SHEA is deeply disappointed by the sudden departure of the CDC Director so soon after her confirmation, at a time when the agency most needs stability and authority to carry out its vital mission of protecting the health and safety of all Americans. The United States stands at a critical crossroads, where strong, trusted public health leadership is essential to restoring confidence through evidence-based practices and guidance. In an era marked by increasing assaults on science and public health, CDC must be empowered to rise above politics and remain focused on their core purpose: safeguarding ...

Birdwatching tourism is booming. Some countries are benefiting, while others are left behind

2025-08-28
Deep in a forest in the Andes, high atop a tall tree, there’s a quick, colorful flash of plumage in vivid shades of yellow, green, and blue. A high-pitched musical chirp rings out. Through a carefully trained pair of binoculars, a beautiful little bird comes into view. It’s a multicolored tanager, a species that lives only in the mountains of Colombia. Seeing it in person for the first time feels like the thrill of discovery. Watching it search for fruit across the treetops brings a sense of peace and connection to nature.  Experiences like these are what motivate birdwatchers to travel the globe, in hopes ...

High protein or Trp diet increases the risk of cancer-associated venous thromboembolism

2025-08-27
Contact: Gina DiGravio, 617-358-7838, ginad@bu.edu (Boston)—Next to cancer recurrence or progression, cardiovascular diseases are the leading causes of death in cancer survivors. The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results database revealed that among the more than three million who initially survived cancer between 1973 and 2012, 38% eventually succumbed to the disease while 11.3% died from cardiovascular diseases.  Specifically, cancer survivors are at a four to seven-fold higher risk of venous thromboembolism ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Engineers develop solid lubricant to replace toxic materials in farming

Repurposing gemstone polishing waste to create smart cement

Patient-physician messaging by race, ethnicity, insurance type, and preferred language

Unrecognized motor difficulties and developmental coordination disorder in preschool children

Background genetic variants influence clinical features in complex disorders

Smarter battery tech knows whether your EV will make it home

Overactive microRNAs block fat cell development in progeria

Crosswalk confusion: MA drivers flummoxed by pedestrian hybrid beacons, find UMass Amherst researchers

Study shows heart disease mortality disproportionately burdens low-income communities in California

Intracardiac echocardiography recognized as ‘transformative’ imaging modality in new SCAI position statement

Study finds ‘man’s best friend’ slows cellular aging in female veterans

To get representative health data, researchers hand out fitbits

Hiring in high-growth firms: new study explores the timing of organizational changes

Boosting work engagement through a simple smartphone diary

Climate change may create ‘ecological trap’ for species who can’t adapt

Scientists create ChatGPT-like AI model for neuroscience to build one of the most detailed mouse brain maps to date

AI and omics unlock personalized drugs and RNA therapies for heart disease

2023 ocean heatwave ‘unprecedented but not unexpected’

Johns Hopkins researchers develop AI to predict risk of US car crashes

New drug combination offers hope for men with advanced prostate cancer

New discovery finds gene converts insulin-producing cells into blood-sugar boosters

Powerful and precise multi-color lasers now fit on a single chip

Scientists agree chemicals can affect behavior, but industry workers more reluctant about safety testing

DNA nanospring measures cellular motor power

Elsevier Foundation and RIKEN launch “Envisioning Futures” report: paving the way for gender equity and women’s leadership in Japanese research

Researchers discover enlarged areas of the spinal cord in fish, previously found only in four-limbed vertebrates

Bipolar disorder heterogeneity decoded: transforming global psychiatric treatment approaches

Catching Alport syndrome through universal age-3 urine screening

Instructions help you remember something better than emotions or a good night’s sleep

Solar energy is now the world’s cheapest source of power, a Surrey study finds

[Press-News.org] New systematic review and meta-analysis shows an association between shingles vaccination and lower risk of heart attack and stroke