The researchers studied 1,000 70-year-olds from Uppsala over a period of 15 years. The study, now published in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, found that people who had been infected with the herpes simplex virus at some point in their lives were twice as likely to develop dementia, compared to those who had never been infected. The herpes simplex virus is very common and up to 80 percent of Swedish adults may be infected. The infection is lifelong, but the symptoms can come and go over different periods of life. Many people never get any symptoms linked to their infection.
“What’s special about this particular study is that the participants are roughly the same age, which makes the results even more reliable since age differences, which are otherwise linked to the development of dementia, cannot confuse the results,” explains Erika Vestin, a medical student at Uppsala University.
Caption: Erika Vestin, First author of the study. Credit: Susanne Nyholm Vestin.
55 million people worldwide are affected by dementia. Advanced age and carrying the apolipoprotein ε4 risk gene are already known risk factors. Research has previously been conducted to investigate whether the herpes simplex virus could also be a possible risk factor for dementia; something now confirmed in this study.
“It is exciting that the results confirm previous studies. More and more evidence is emerging from studies that, like our findings, point to the herpes simplex virus as a risk factor for dementia,” continues Vestin.
Important conclusions from the study include the need to further investigate whether already known drugs against the herpes simplex virus can reduce the risk of dementia and the possibility of developing new vaccines.
“The results may drive dementia research further towards treating the illness at an early stage using common anti-herpes virus drugs, or preventing the disease before it occurs,” adds Vestin.
The study was partly funded by the Gun and Bertil Stohne Foundation, Demensfonden, the Swedish Society of Medicine, Märta Lundqvist Foundation, Thureus Foundation, Region Uppsala, Stiftelsen för Gamla Tjänarinnor and the Swedish Brain Foundation.
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NOTES FOR EDITORS
For further information
Erika Vestin, medical student at Uppsala University
Erika.vestin.5085@student.uu.se
Tel: +46 70 302 32 46
Bodil Weidung, researcher and ST Doctor at Uppsala University
Bodil.weidung@pubcare.uu.se
Article
"Herpes Simplex Viral Infection Doubles the Risk of Dementia in a Contemporary Cohort of Older Adults: A Prospective Study," by Vestin, Erika et al. (https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-230718) Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Volume 97, Issue 4 (February 2024), published by IOS Press.
The article is openly available at https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad230718.
About the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease
Now in its 27th year of publication, the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease (JAD) is an international multidisciplinary journal to facilitate progress in understanding the etiology, pathogenesis, epidemiology, genetics, behavior, treatment, and psychology of Alzheimer’s disease. The journal publishes research reports, reviews, short communications, book reviews, and letters-to-the-editor. Groundbreaking research that has appeared in the journal includes novel therapeutic targets, mechanisms of disease, and clinical trial outcomes. JAD has a Journal Impact Factor of 4 according to Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate, 2023). The journal is published by IOS Press. j-alz.com
About IOS Press
IOS Press is an international scientific, technical, medical (STM) publishing house established in 1987 in Amsterdam. We produce around 90 journals and 70 books annually in a broad range of subject categories, primarily specializing in health and life sciences (including neurosciences, medical informatics, cancer research, and rehabilitation) and computer sciences (including artificial intelligence, data science, and semantic web). In addition, we offer specialized services that support scientific advancement. iospress.com
