Dementia risk ‘could be increased’ by

A new large-scale study from the University of Washington and Gilead Sciences in the US has found a potential link between Alzheimer’s disease and the herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV-1), which causes cold sores. HSV-1 can remain dormant in the body and later reactivate, potentially triggering processes associated with dementia. Researchers examined medical records of over 344,000 individuals with Alzheimer’s and a similar number without the disease, aged 50 and above, and discovered that those with a history of HSV-1 were 80 percent more likely to develop Alzheimer’s.

Interestingly, people who took antiviral drugs to treat HSV-1 were 17 percent less likely to develop Alzheimer’s, suggesting antiviral medications might help reduce the risk of dementia. The exact link between HSV-1 and Alzheimer’s remains unclear, but experts believe inflammation triggered by the virus could play a significant role. Other herpes family viruses, including HSV-2 and varicella-zoster (which causes chickenpox and shingles), have also been associated with Alzheimer’s risk. Researchers emphasized the need for further studies to better understand these connections and explore if antiviral treatments could offer preventative benefits.