WASHINGTON, D.C.: Alzheimer’s disease could be triggered by the virus which causes cold sores, a group of dementia experts has warned.
An International team of 31 scientists, including some from universities such as Oxford, Cambridge, Edinburgh and Manchester, have written a paper which suggests pathogens are the major cause of dementia.
This will fuel fears that the disease can be ‘passed on’ from person to person. But the silver lining could be that if viruses and bacteria really do play a role in dementia, we may already have the drugs out there to treat it.
Cold sores are caused by herpes, which is named as one of the major culprits. But the scientists have also posited a link between dementia and the bacteria which causes chlamydia.
Alzheimer’s occurs due to a build-up of sticky proteins in the brain called amyloid plaques. They prevent brain cells from communicating which each other effectively, and this leads to memory loss and cognitive decline. Many scientists are trying to find treatments that prevent this build up.
But these researchers believe that if viral or bacterial infections trigger this accumulation in the first place, targeting them with antimicrobial medicines could be the key to stopping dementia…