How Shingles Can Impact Your Cardiovascular Health Years Later

One out of every three people will get shingles in their lifetime. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), having chickenpox increases your risk of shingles. If you were born before 1980, you were more than likely exposed to the virus that causes chickenpox. Although the rash associated with shingles goes away about four weeks later, a recent study in the Journal of the American Heart Association says having shingles can increase your risk of heart disease or stroke for 12 years or more.

The study followed the medical history of more than 200,000 people for about 16 years. People who had shingles had a 30% higher risk of stroke or heart disease than those who were free of shingles. People with compromised immune systems had a greater risk of cardiovascular disease. 

Dr. Stephen Kopecky tells Mayo Clinic that "Anything that increases inflammation in your body increases your risk for heart attack. It could be an infection caused by a virus such as shingles or the flu, or by bacteria, such as a bladder infection." The resulting inflammation from shingles is likely to result in the long term increase in cardiovascular distress.

The CDC recommends two doses of the shingles vaccine for anyone over 50 or immunocompromised people over 19. People who were vaccinated for chickenpox can still get shingles later in life, but it's less likely than people who had chickenpox (via Immunize British Columbia).