New data to be presented at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions 2026 (ACC 2026) indicate that shingles vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of major cardiovascular events.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the vaccine for adults aged 50 years and older and for younger individuals with weakened immune systems to prevent herpes zoster, a condition caused by reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus.1 Prior studies have linked shingles infection to an increased risk of thrombotic events, including myocardial infarction, stroke, and venous thromboembolism, supporting investigation into whether vaccination may reduce cardiovascular risk.
Rationale
Reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus has been associated with increased short-term risk of cardiovascular events, including myocardial infarction and stroke. Proposed mechanisms including endothelial damage, inflammatory responses, and thrombotic microangiopathy.2
Preventing shingles through vaccination may therefore reduce these downstream effects. This hypothesis has been explored in prior analyses, which have suggested lower cardiovascular event rates among vaccinated individuals, though causality remains uncertain.3
Study design and methods
The study investigated 246,822 adults from the USA, using healthcare data from the TriNetX database. Investigators compared rates of serious cardiac events in individuals who had received a shingles vaccination (123,411) vs. those who had not.
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Population: Adults age 50 years and older and younger adults with weakened immune systems
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Exposure: Shingrix or Zostavax shingles vaccine
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Comparator: Unvaccinated individuals
- Limitations: Outcomes were only studied for 1 year after vaccination, health behavioural differences and socioeconomic factors
As an observational analysis, the findings are subject to confounding, although the large population size supports the robustness of the results.
Key findings
Within 1–12 months following vaccination, individuals who received the shingles vaccine had a lower risk of cardiovascular events compared with those who were not vaccinated:
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Approximately 46% lower risk of major adverse cardiovascular events
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32% lower risk of myocardial infarction
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25% lower risk of stroke
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25% lower risk of developing heart failure
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66% lower risk of all-cause mortality
Lead author, Dr Robert Nguyen (University of California, Riverside, CA, USA) said:
“Sometimes patients are unsure about whether they should get a vaccine or not, particularly in an age of disinformation. These results provide another reason for them to elect to get the vaccine.”
Conclusion
Despite the limitations of the study, these findings suggest an association between shingles vaccination and reduced risk of major cardiovascular events in at-risk populations. If validated, the findings may have implications for cardiovascular risk reduction strategies.
References
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- Shingles vaccine drastically cuts risk of serious cardiac events. Available at: https://www.acc.org/About-ACC/Press-Releases/2026/03/16/19/33/Shingles-Vaccine-Drastically-Cuts-Risk-of-Serious-Cardiac-Events. (accessed 19 March 2026).
- Lu CL, Wang J, Chang YC, et al. Cardiorenal outcomes after herpes zoster reactivation in COVID-19 survivors from a global TriNetX study. Sci Rep. 2025;15:30036. Doi: 10.1038/s41598-025-16398-3.
- ESC. New systematic review and meta-analysis shows an association between shingles vaccination and lower risk of heart attack and stroke. Available at: https://www.escardio.org/news/press/press-releases/New-systematic-review-and-meta-analysis-shows-an-association-between-shingles-vaccination-and-lower-risk-of-heart-attack-and-stroke/ (accessed 19 March 2026).
More content in cardiovascular disease.
Cite: Shingles vaccination associated with reduced cardiovascular risk in data to be presented at ACC 2026. touchCARDIO. 19 March 2026.
Editor: Victoria Smith, Senior Content Editor.
Disclosures: This article was created by the touchCARDIO team utilizing AI as an editorial tool (ChatGPT (GPT-4o) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com/chat.) The content was developed and edited by human editors. No funding was received in the publication of this article.
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