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Shingles, Zostavax vaccination and risk of developing dementia: a nested case-control study-results from the UK Biobank cohort
Lophatananon A, Mekli K, Cant R, Burns A, Dobson C, Itzhaki R, Muir K.. BMJ open, 2021-10-08
Topic: Risk, prevention and care in population studies
Objectives To investigate the association between shingles and dementia, and between Zostavax vaccination and dementia. Settings Data were drawn from the UK Biobank cohort study with a total of 228 223 participants with Hospital Episodes Statistics and primary care linkage health records. Participants The analyses included 2378 incident dementia cases and 225 845 controls.
Cite this study APA, Vancouver, BibTeX · download .bib or .ris
APA 7th
Lophatananon, A., Mekli, K., Cant, R., Burns, A., Dobson, C., Itzhaki, R., et al. (2021). Shingles, Zostavax vaccination and risk of developing dementia: a nested case-control study-results from the UK Biobank cohort. BMJ open. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045871
Vancouver
Lophatananon A, Mekli K, Cant R, Burns A, Dobson C, Itzhaki R, et al. Shingles, Zostavax vaccination and risk of developing dementia: a nested case-control study-results from the UK Biobank cohort. BMJ open. 2021. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045871. PMID: 34625411.
BibTeX
@article{lophatananon2021-34625411,
author = {Lophatananon, A. and Mekli, K. and Cant, R. and Burns, A. and Dobson, C. and Itzhaki, R. and Muir, K.},
title = {{Shingles, Zostavax vaccination and risk of developing dementia: a nested case-control study-results from the UK Biobank cohort}},
journal = {BMJ open},
year = {2021},
doi = {10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045871},
pmid = {34625411},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-045871}
}
Built from the record alzhub holds for this paper, not looked up. Volume, issue and page numbers are not held in the record. The record names 7 authors; APA and Vancouver show the first six, BibTeX and the downloads carry all of them. Check the citation against the original before you use it.
Key findings
- Settings Data were drawn from the UK Biobank cohort study with a total of 228 223 participants with Hospital Episodes Statistics and primary care linkage health records.
- Participants The analyses included 2378 incident dementia cases and 225 845 controls.
- Inclusion criteria for incident cases were a dementia diagnosis 3 years or more after the first assessment date derived from all sources including International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-10, ICD-9, self-report and primary care linkage records.
- Subjects with no dementia code from all sources were coded as controls.
Why it matters
This UK Biobank study looked at whether having shingles or receiving the Zostavax vaccine was associated with developing dementia. It reports associations only and does not show that shingles causes dementia or that the vaccine prevents it.
Study details
- Study designcohort study
- Participants2,378
- Effect sizeOR: 1.088; OR: 0.808
- Evidence strengthModerate
How this study scored 66/100
Published in a peer-reviewed journal, and it is a cohort study following people over time. Scored zero for randomised / blinded because the record does not state it.
| Component | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Journal tier | 7 / 10 | Tier 3 — peer-reviewed journal (BMJ open) |
| Journal's citation record | 2 / 4 | BMJ Open: journal h-index 240 (OpenAlex, 2026-10-29) |
| Study design | 7 / 12 | A cohort study following people over time |
| Strength of evidence | 3 / 5 | Rated “moderate” in our summary |
| Peer-review validation | 10 / 10 | Peer-reviewed. Published as an article in a named peer-reviewed journal. |
| How recent | 3 / 5 | 2021 — within 6 year(s) of the newest study here |
| Sample size | 3 / 4 | 2,378 participants |
| Effect reported | 3 / 3 | Effect reported with a statistic (interval, p-value, ratio or similar) |
| Studied in people | 3 / 3 | Studied in people (participant count stated) |
| Randomised / blinded | 0 / 2 | No randomisation or blinding stated — scores zero (not stated in the record — scored 0) |
| Times cited | 4 / 7 | Cited 72 times (OpenAlex, 2026-10-10) |
| Citations per year | 3 / 5 | 10.3 citations a year over 7 year(s) since 2021 |
| Impact for its field and year | 3 / 6 | Cited 7.9× the average for papers of its field and year (OpenAlex FWCI) |
| Cited by studies here | 2 / 6 | Cited by 8 other studies in this library |
| Still being cited | 3 / 4 | Cited 53 times in 2024–2026 (2026 still in progress; OpenAlex) |
| Senior author's track record | 3 / 4 | Last-listed author Kenneth Ross Muir: h-index 86 (OpenAlex, whole career) |
| Institution's track record | 2 / 3 | University of Oxford: institution h-index 2,205 (OpenAlex) |
| Multi-centre collaboration | 1 / 3 | OpenAlex lists 2 institution(s) in 1 country |
| Indexed in PubMed | 2 / 2 | Indexed in PubMed (PMID 34625411) |
| Free to read | 2 / 2 | Free to read |
| Total | 66 / 100 | — |
What each of these 20 components measures, and what this score is not →
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Full text: free to read — OpenAlex lists this copy as free to read: the link above (checked 6 Feb 1020).
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