Can icy wounds raise the risk of Alzheimer’s disease? The modern study is not a reason for panic

AND New study He found Herpes Simplex type 1 (HSV-1) virus, which causes icy wounds, can be associated with the development of Alzheimer’s disease.

This idea is not completely modern. Previous research suggested there may be an association between HSV-1 and Alzheimer’s disease, The most common form of dementia.

So what can we make from these modern discoveries? How powerful is this link? Let’s take a look at the evidence.

First, what is HSV-1?

HSV-1 is a neurotropic virus, which means that it can infect nerve cells that send and receive messages to the brain and the brain. This is an extremely common virus. . Estimates of the World Health Organization Almost two -thirds of the global population under the age of 50 carries a virus, often unconsciously.

The initial infection can cause subtle to severe symptoms, including fever, headache and muscle aches, and can manifest itself as blisters and ulcers around the mouth or mouth.

After this HSV-1 usually lies dormant In the body’s nervous system, sometimes reactivating due to stress or disease. During reactivation, this can cause symptoms such as wounds, although in many people it does not cause any symptoms.

What did modern research adopt?

In a study published this week At BMJ OpenScientists analyzed data from hundreds of thousands of people downloaded from a enormous set of health insurance data in the United States.

They carried out a matching analysis of “cases of cases” with the participation of over 340,000 adults aged 50 and older, diagnosed Alzheimer’s disease in 2006–2021. Each patient of Alzheimer’s disease (“accident”) was adapted to control without diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease based on factors such as age, gender and geographical region, designed to reduce bias statistics.

Then the team examined how many of these people had an earlier diagnosis of HSV-1 and whether they were prescribed antiviral treatment of infection.

Among people with Alzheimer’s disease, 0.44% had the previous diagnosis of HSV-1, compared to 0.24% of the control. This translates into 80% increased relative risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people diagnosed with HSV-1, but the absolute numbers are miniature.

Scientists also found that people who received HSV-1 antiviral treatment had approximately 17% lower risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease compared to untreated people.

Not a modern hypothesis

This is not the first time the researchers speculated about the viral role in Alzheimer’s disease. Previous research detected DNA HSV-1 in cerebral tissues in posthumous from people who had Alzheimer’s disease.

Laboratory tests have also been demonstrated HSV-1 can liberate the accumulation of the Amyloid-Beta plate in nerve cells and mouse brains. Ayloid-beta tiles are one of the features that define Alzheimer’s pathologies, so this led to speculation that the reactivation of the virus can contribute to encephalitis or damage.

But what is vital, previous studies and current study show connections, not HSV-1 evidence causes Alzheimer’s disease. These cables do not confirm it initiates the virus or drives the progression of the disease.

Some other vital reservations

The study consisted of given insurance claims, which may not always reflect right or timely clinical diagnoses. HSV-1 is also often undeveloped, especially when the symptoms are subtle or absent. These points can explain why both Alzheimer’s group and the control group have noticed such low HSV-1 indicators when the population indicators of this virus It is estimated that it is much higher.

This means that many HSV-1 carriers may have not been registered in the study and therefore make the link to the brilliant to clear interpretation. The data set also does not intercept how often people had repetitive symptoms, i.e. severity or duration of infection – conditions that can affect the risk more directly.

Another complicating factor is that people from HSV-1 may differ in other ways from people without it. Differences in access to healthcare, person’s health immune systemIN lifestyleIN geneticsand even education – Everything can affect the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.

So you should worry if you have icy wounds?

The tiny answer is “no” – at least not on the basis of current evidence. Most people from HSV-1 will never develop Alzheimer’s disease. The huge majority live with a virus without grave neurological problems.

The “Hypes Hypothesis” of Alzheimer’s disease is an engaging area for further research, but far from science. This study adds weight to the conversation, but does not offer a final answer.

Alzheimer’s disease is a sophisticated condition Many risk factorsincluding age, genetics, heart health, education, lifestyle and environmental exhibitions.

Infections such as HSV-1, can be one part of a larger, combined puzzle, but it is very unlikely to be the only cause.

With this in mind, the best thing to do is to focus on what we already know can lend a hand maintain brain health as aging. Regular physical activityIN Good sleep qualityIN Social commitmentIN Balanced diet AND Stress management They can all support long -term brain health.