Study suggests link between untreated depression and response to shingles vaccine
Thursday, February 14, 2013 - 08:30
in Health & Medicine
Results from a new study suggest a link between untreated depression in older adults and decreased effectiveness of the herpes zoster, or shingles, vaccine. Older adults are known to be at risk for shingles, a painful condition caused by the reactivation of the varicella-zoster virus, and more than a million new cases occur each year in the US. The vaccine boosts cell-mediated immunity to the virus and can decrease the incidence and severity of the condition.