New research suggests that a common stomach bug may increase your risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
Researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada, examined the health records of 4 million British people aged 50 and over from 1988 to 2019.
Researchers found that people with symptomatic Helicobacter pylori gastroenteritis had an 11 percent increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.
The bacterium is present in contaminated food, water, and soil, and can also be easily transmitted from person to person through body fluids.
Alzheimer’s disease warning: common stomach bugs that increase your risk of developing the disease
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This bacterium is common, with around 40 per cent of UK residents carrying it in their stomachs. For the majority of people who have it, it’s not a problem.
However, about 15 percent of people have symptomatic infections that can cause indigestion, gastritis, ulcers, and even stomach cancer.
The researchers found that the increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease peaked at 24% seven to 10 years after being infected with this bacteria, and then decreased again.
It is estimated that 944,000 people live with dementia in the UK alone, with the majority suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
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Research suggests that eradicating the bug could prevent approximately 200,000 infections.
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“Given the aging of the global population, the number of dementia cases is expected to triple over the next 40 years,” said Dr. Paul Brassard, lead author of the study and professor of medicine at McGill University.
“However, there is still no effective treatment for this disease.”
“We hope that the findings of this study will provide insight into the potential role of H. pylori in dementia to help in the development of preventive strategies, such as tailored eradication programs, to reduce infections at a population level. .”
The study suggested that eradicating the bug could prevent around 200,000 cases of Alzheimer’s disease each year worldwide.
Last week, the Guardian reported that two dementia drugs are set to be approved in the UK, with the aim of becoming the first drugs to directly improve patients’ lives.
One of these drugs, lecanemab, was recently approved in the United States and Japan, and treatments with it have already begun.
A second drug, donamab, is also expected to arrive soon.
British medical regulators are expected to consider both drugs for UK approval next year, but a diagnosis is likely to be required to obtain the drugs.