Shingles Virus Tied to Risk of Heart Attack in Adults Javascript must be enabled to use this site. Please enable Javascript in your browser and try again. × Search search POPULAR SEARCHES SUGGESTED LINKS Join AARP for just $9 per year when you sign up for a 5-year term. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Leaving AARP.org Website You are now leaving AARP.org and going to a website that is not operated by AARP. A different privacy policy and terms of service will apply.

Having Shingles May Increase Heart Attack Risk

Study spotlights importance of vaccine coverage

Shingles is caused by the same virus as chickenpox, which stays dormant in your body and can reactivate as you get older. Getty Images , according to a new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology. The researchers analyzed 10 years of records on more than 500,000 patients in South Korea and found that people who had shingles were 35 percent more likely to experience a stroke and 59 percent more likely to have a heart attack. For heart attacks, the risk spiked highest in the year after the and then decreased, according to researchers at the Asan Medical Center, based in Seoul. Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. Of the population studied, 23,000 were diagnosed with shingles. They were more likely to be female and have other risk factors such as , diabetes and high cholesterol. In this population, shingles raised their overall risk of a stroke or heart attack by 41 percent. Stroke risk was highest for people under 40 years of age, even though they had fewer risk factors than the older population. Shingles is caused by the same virus as , which stays dormant in your body as you age. Later in life the virus can reactivate, causing the rash as well as fever, headache, chills and upset stomach. The study is an important reminder to talk to your doctor about getting the shingles vaccine. A recent report by the National Center for Health Statistics highlights potentially people have received, including shingles. Only 34 percent of people 65 and older had received the shingles vaccination and the older people got, the less likely they were to get it. About 36 percent of people 65 to 74 said they received the vaccine at some point, but that proportion dropped to 29 percent for those 85 and older. AARP Membership — $12 for your first year when you sign up for Automatic Renewal Get instant access to members-only products and hundreds of discounts, a free second membership, and a subscription to AARP the Magazine. AARP VALUE & MEMBER BENEFITS See more Health & Wellness offers > See more Flights & Vacation Packages offers > See more Finances offers > See more Health & Wellness offers > SAVE MONEY WITH THESE LIMITED-TIME OFFERS