The herpes virus could be responsible for 50% of Alzheimer's cases

According to recent research, the herpes virus, the cause of the most common disease called cold sores, could be responsible for at least half of all cases of Alzheimer's disease .

The study found that people infected with herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1) are more likely to suffer from the disorder that steals their memory, causing similar brain protein deposition to the characteristic plaques of Alzheimer's disease.

A common virus

According to figures from the World Health Organization, nearly 3,700 million people under the age of 50, or about 67% of the world's population, are suffering from the herpes simplex virus-type 1.

Most of the time, the infection is transmitted through mouth-to-mouth contact and usually causes no symptoms. Once a person is infected with HSV1, he remains inactive in the body all his life and can be reactivated to cause painful blisters when his health is compromised or in response to a stressful stimulus.

Research shows that carriers of the APOE-e4 genetic variant suffer more severe effects from the herpes virus. Each awakening of HSV1 could gradually wear off the brain until the onset of symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Researcher Ruth F. Itzhaki, a professor in the Division of Neuroscience and Experimental Psychology at the University of Manchester and author of the study, believes that antiviral drugs could prevent Alzheimer's disease. However, data support is rare.

Find evidence

Most countries do not collect data to establish a link between herpes and Alzheimer's disease; However, Taiwan is an exception. Virtually everyone is enrolled in a national health research database that collects information on infections and diseases.

Between 2017 and 2018, three studies used this data to analyze a possible link between senile dementia, a mental deterioration associated with aging whose main cause is Alzheimer's disease and virus infection. Herpes or chicken pox. .

The results of these studies reveal that the risk of developing senile dementia is much higher in people infected with HSV1. Data show that the herpes virus could be associated with 50% or more of Alzheimer's disease cases.

In addition, the review found that taking antiviral drugs against herpes significantly reduced the number of people infected with the virus who develop Alzheimer's disease.

The study's author points out that data on a microbial cause of Alzheimer's disease have been ignored or discarded for decades and that it is time to remedy the situation by determining then using the best available treatment methods.

Reference: Corroboration of a major role in the herpes simplex virus type 1 in Alzheimer's disease. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 2018. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2018.00324