Good news! Get your annual flu shot!
"New research looking at health records from nearly half a million people has identified 22 different associations between viral infections and neurodegenerative diseases. Influenza, encephalitis and other viral infections all were linked to increased rates of brain diseases such as Parkinson's, Alzheimer's and MS. ...
Back in the 1950s microbial infections were suggested to be the source of many neurodegenerative diseases ... Although the idea sat on the fringes of neuroscience for decades ... a handful of key studies uncovered strong, novel evidence. In particular, a study published early in 2022 presented robust causal evidence linking the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) to infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). ...
do raise the possibility that broader deployment of common vaccines could potentially reduce rates of neurodegenerative disease. If neurodegenerative disease is primarily accelerated by severe viral infections then vaccinations known to reduce the severity of illness could slow things down for many people. This effect has been somewhat detected in studies linking a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in elderly subjects receiving annual flu vaccinations. ..."
Back in the 1950s microbial infections were suggested to be the source of many neurodegenerative diseases ... Although the idea sat on the fringes of neuroscience for decades ... a handful of key studies uncovered strong, novel evidence. In particular, a study published early in 2022 presented robust causal evidence linking the development of multiple sclerosis (MS) to infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV). ...
do raise the possibility that broader deployment of common vaccines could potentially reduce rates of neurodegenerative disease. If neurodegenerative disease is primarily accelerated by severe viral infections then vaccinations known to reduce the severity of illness could slow things down for many people. This effect has been somewhat detected in studies linking a reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease in elderly subjects receiving annual flu vaccinations. ..."
"... “Keep in mind that the individuals we studied did not have the common cold. Their infections made them so sick that they had to go to the hospital,” ..."
From the highlights and abstract:
"Highlights
• Identified 45 pairs of viral exposures associated with increased risk of NDDs
• Replicated 22 of the viral exposures/NDD pairings
• Replicated the previously reported Epstein-Barr and multiple sclerosis association
• Follow-up shows significantly elevated risk of NDD years after viral exposure
Summary
With recent findings connecting the Epstein-Barr virus to an increased risk of multiple sclerosis and growing concerns regarding the neurological impact of the coronavirus pandemic, we examined potential links between viral exposures and neurodegenerative disease risk. Using time series data from FinnGen for discovery and cross-sectional data from the UK Biobank for replication, we identified 45 viral exposures significantly associated with increased risk of neurodegenerative disease and replicated 22 of these associations. The largest effect association was between viral encephalitis exposure and Alzheimer’s disease. Influenza with pneumonia was significantly associated with five of the six neurodegenerative diseases studied. We also replicated the Epstein-Barr/multiple sclerosis association. Some of these exposures were associated with an increased risk of neurodegeneration up to 15 years after infection. As vaccines are currently available for some of the associated viruses, vaccination may be a way to reduce some risk of neurodegenerative disease."
Could a viral illness increase chances of developing Alzheimer’s or other neurodegenerative disease?
Figure 1: Graphical summary of hazard ratio lag for replicated viral/NDD pairs
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