Dementia Alzheimer's disease caused by herpes viruses? Antiviral therapy could help

Can remedies for herpes protect people from Alzheimer's?

The latest study results could revolutionize Alzheimer's treatment. The herpes simplex virus seems to play a crucial role in disease and herpes remedies lead to a reduction in the risk of dementia.

Researchers at the University of Manchester and the University of Edinburgh found in their recent research that there is strong evidence of the involvement of viruses in Alzheimer's disease. Agents for herpes could be used to treat Alzheimer's. The physicians published the results of their study in the English-language journal "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease".

Treatment with remedies for herpes significantly reduces the risk

Postmortem analysis of brain tissue revealed that people living with this form of dementia had more herpesvirus type 6 and type 7 compared to people without Alzheimer's, the researchers report. This could show a link between herpes and dementia, the experts said. In fact, three other studies have also suggested such a relationship. These suggested that a so-called shingles (herpes zoster infection) can lead to a higher risk of dementia. Another study also found that aggressive treatment with herpes remedies can significantly reduce the risk of dementia.

Examination had over 33,000 participants

The current study looked at 8,362 people aged 50 and over. The participants had previously received the diagnosis of a herpes simplex virus (HSV) infection. In addition, a control group of 25,086 healthy people was examined. The two groups were medically monitored for almost a decade between 2001 and 2010. In the group with people with herpes, the risk of dementia was over 2.5 times higher than in the control group, explain the authors of the study. Significantly, the study also showed that aggressive antiviral treatment reduced the relative risk of dementia tenfold.

Long-term damage in the brain can be avoided

It is noteworthy not only the extent of the antiviral effect, but also the fact that despite the relatively short duration and timing of the treatment, most patients severely affected by HSV1 prevented long-term damage in the brain that could lead to Alzheimer's disease Study author Professor Richard Lathe of the University of Edinburgh.

Can childhood vaccination prevent Alzheimer's disease??

Safe and readily available antiviral drugs could play an important role in combating the disease. Perhaps in the future it will even be possible to prevent Alzheimer's by vaccinating against the virus in childhood, says study author Professor Ruth Itzhaki of the University of Manchester. Successful treatment with a particular drug or successful vaccination is the only way to prove that viruses are the cause of non-infectious human disease, adds the expert. (As)