Analysis of Medical Records Repeatedly Links Viruses to Alzheimer’s

New research has observed that serious viral infections, including pneumonia and encephalitis, heighten the risk of neurodegenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. This comes after previous research found a connection between the Epstein-Barr virus and a heightened risk of developing multiple sclerosis.

Michael Nalls, a neurogeneticist and the senior author of the study, revealed that the research team decided to use a data science-based approach for its research. Using this approach, the investigators focused on analyzing medical records, which made it easier to systematically look for all potential links at a go. They focused on the medical records of about 35,000 Finns with six different types of neurodegenerative illnesses then compared their findings against a control group made up of 310,000 individuals who had no brain disease.

Prior to this, researchers investigated links between a certain virus and a neurodegenerative disease on an individual basis.

Investigators found 22 links between neurodegenerative diseases and viral infections, revealing that patients who had viral encephalitis were more than 30 times more likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Patients with the flu who were later hospitalized with pneumonia were also found to be susceptible to dementia, Alzheimer’s, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease.

The varicella-zoster virus, which causes shingles as well as meningitis and intestinal infections, which are often caused by viruses, were also linked to the development of different neurodegenerative illnesses.

In some cases, the investigators observed that the effect of viral infections on patient brains persisted for more than 10 years, noting that they observed no instances where virus exposure was protective. In their report, they explained that vaccines were available for some of these viruses, including pneumonia, shingles and influenza.

Andrew Singleton, a neurogeneticist and the study’s coauthor, explained that neurodegenerative illnesses were a collection of disorders for which there are many risk factors and few effective treatments.

The investigators observed that while vaccines wouldn’t prevent all cases of illness, they greatly decreased rates of hospitalization, citing evidence suggesting that vaccination may alleviate some risk of developing neurodegenerative illnesses. The team members then noted that while their study didn’t demonstrate a causal connection, it added to research suggesting that viruses play a role in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease development.

Singleton, director of the Center for Alzheimer’s and Related Dementias, added that the group’s findings supported the idea that viral infections and associated inflammation in the nervous system may be risk factors for these types of conditions.

The investigators reported their findings in “Neuron.”

This revelation that pathogens, especially viruses, play a role in the onset of neurodegenerative diseases could provide lines of investigation by enterprises such as Annovis Bio Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) that are focused on developing effective treatments against diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease.

NOTE TO INVESTORS: The latest news and updates relating to Annovis Bio Inc. (NYSE: ANVS) are available in the company’s newsroom at https://ibn.fm/ANVS

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