(ORDO NEWS) — An analysis of more than half a million medical records has shown that there is indeed a link between infection with viruses and the occurrence of Alzheimer’s disease.
Not all viruses are capable of this, but encephalitis is the most likely.
A study of nearly 500,000 medical records found that severe viral infections such as encephalitis and pneumonia increase the risk of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.
Viruses that cause Alzheimer’s disease
The researchers found 22 links between viral infections and neurodegenerative conditions in a study of about 450,000 people.
People treated for viral encephalitis were 31 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. (For every 406 cases of viral encephalitis, 24 developed Alzheimer’s disease about 6 percent.)
Those who were hospitalized with pneumonia after contracting the flu appeared to be more susceptible to Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
Intestinal infections and meningitis (both often caused by a virus), as well as the varicella zoster virus, have also been implicated in several neurodegenerative diseases.
In some cases, the effects of viral infections on the brain persisted for up to 15 years. And there were no cases where exposure to viruses protected against these diseases.
Although this retrospective observational study does not explain the exact causal relationship between these conditions, it does add to the evidence from other studies hinting at a role for viruses in Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s disease.
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