Viral infections such as cold sores and pneumonia could be the unsuspected cause of Alzheimer’s and dementia, a leading group of experts is claiming.
Dormant viruses and microbes are found in the brains of most elderly people, but they can be reactivated after stress or by a weakened immune system, says the group of 31 scientists and clinicians from research centres such as from Oxford, Cambridge and Imperial universities.
An activated herpes virus, for instance, can cause damage in areas of the brain associated with memory and cognition.
They say there is growing evidence of a link with viruses and more than a hundred papers now support the belief: over 100 studies link the cold sore bug – herpes simplex virus 1, or HSV-1 – to Alzheimer’s disease.
Other suspects include a bacterium that causes pneumonia. The researchers argue that after working their way into the brain the microbes lie dormant, only to be awakened by ageing or illness.
They can then kill vital brain cells, triggering the symptoms of Alzheimer’s. The theory also states that beta-amyloid, the toxic protein often thought to be a cause of the disease, is actually made by the brain to fight off the bugs.
If viruses are indeed a cause of Alzheimer’s and dementia, a whole new way of treating the diseases opens up.
Source:
WDDTY
Tags:
herpes, Alzheimer’s disease, pneumonia
