People with MS may be at higher risk of getting shingles because of reduced immune system function due to disease-modifying treatments. High-dose steroids, often used during relapses, may also increase the risk of a shingles outbreak. The Shingrix vaccine does not contain live virus and is safe for you to get.
No matter the reason a person's immune system is compromised — whether they have had a transplant or have AIDS, cancer, or an autoimmune disease like MS — they run a much higher risk of shingles.
1 Shingrix is effective and safe for most people, including people with autoimmune disorders. The CDC currently recommends that people with chronic medical conditions, such as RA, get the shingles vaccine.
Someone with a minor acute illness, such as a cold, may be vaccinated. But anyone with a moderate or severe acute illness should usually wait until they recover before getting the vaccine. This includes anyone with a temperature of 101.3°F or higher.
People with MS should select the Pfizer, Moderna or Novavax vaccine if possible when getting vaccinated. Learn more about the different types of vaccines and how they work from the CDC.
For instance, shingles is associated with disruptions to the immune system, which in turn might trigger MS, Kang said. Also, a reactivation of the shingles virus may “provoke a series of immune responses in the host which may be linked to MS,” the researcher suggested.
According to the CDC and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, most people with MS should be fully vaccinated with the vaccines made by Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine or Moderna, including any recommended booster doses.
As a vaccine with a small amount of live herpes virus present, Zostavax is contraindicated for people with weakened immune systems, which may have limited the number of seniors who could receive it. It also requires freezer storage, another reason most doctors don't stock it, says Dr.
You should see your GP if you are under 18 years old, pregnant or have a weakened immune system (the body's natural defence system) and you think you have been exposed to someone with chickenpox or shingles and haven't had chickenpox before.
About 1 in 10 people who get shingles develop nerve pain that lasts for months or years after the rash goes away. This is called postherpetic neuralgia and is the most common complication of shingles. Shingles may lead to other serious complications involving the eye, including blindness.
The primary analysis (claims-based, all doses) found an increased risk of GBS during the 42 days following vaccination with Shingrix, with an estimated 3 excess cases of GBS per million doses administered to adults aged 65 years or older.
Shingrix is recommended to prevent shingles and related complications in immunocompetent adults 50 years and older, and for adults 19 years and older who are or will be immunocompromised. Make every effort to ensure that two doses are administered within the recommended 2–6 month interval.
Conclusions and relevance: Findings of this case series cohort study indicate a slightly increased risk of Guillain-Barré syndrome during the 42 days following RZV vaccination in the Medicare population, with approximately 3 excess Guillain-Barré syndrome cases per million vaccinations.
The connection between MS and shingles
There are several possible links between MS and shingles. Interestingly, the links seem to go in both directions. Researchers suspect that a virus or infection, like shingles, may trigger a reaction in the body that makes a person more at risk for developing MS later in life.
What causes exacerbations? Exacerbations (relapses) are caused by inflammation in the central nervous system (CNS). The inflammation damages the myelin, slowing or disrupting the transmission of nerve impulses and causing the symptoms of MS.
Research has demonstrated that MS occurs in most ethnic groups, including African Americans, Asians and Hispanics/Latinos, but is most common among white people of northern European descent.
Shingles typically occurs in people older than 50. And people over the age of 60 are more likely to experience more-severe complications. Some diseases. Diseases that weaken your immune system, such as HIV/AIDS and cancer, can increase your risk of shingles.
There are two shingles vaccines: Zostavax, which contains a live strain of the varicella-zoster virus that has been weakened (attenuated), so that it stimulates the immune system but does not cause disease in healthy people; and Shingrix, which contains an inactivated form of the virus to activate the immune system.
Since stress affects the immune system, many researchers believe that stress could be a trigger for shingles. Researchers in multiple studies have linked chronic, daily stress, and highly stressful life events as risk factors for shingles.
A self-controlled case series found an increased risk of GBS during a 42-day period after vaccination with Shingrix [11]. The study also found an estimated three cases of GBS per million vaccinations administered in adults aged 65 and older [11].
Current evidence shows that simply having MS does not make you more likely than the general population to develop COVID-19, become severely ill or die from the infection. However, certain factors have been shown to increase the risk of a severe case of COVID-19: Progressive MS. Older age.
MS and coronavirus (COVID-19) – what are the risks? Early research indicates that having multiple sclerosis (MS) in itself doesn't increase your risk of getting COVID-19. But some people with MS could be at greater risk of getting coronavirus, or of complications if they catch it.
your genes – MS isn't directly inherited, but people who are related to someone with the condition are more likely to develop it; the chance of a sibling or child of someone with MS also developing it is estimated to be around 2 to 3 in 100.
You might become severely affected only for a while, during a serious relapse when your symptoms and disability suddenly get worse. But usually people who are severely affected by MS gradually get that way after many years of having it.
In MS, the immune system becomes confused and attacks the protective myelin coating around our nerves by mistake. If myelin is damaged by the immune system, the nerve can't communicate properly and may eventually die.