Repeated infections increase risk of neurodegenerative diseases: Study

Infections treated with speciality hospital care in early and mid-life are associated with an increased subsequent risk of Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's diseases (PD), according to a new study.

Infections treated with speciality hospital care in early and mid-life are associated with an increased subsequent risk of Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's diseases (PD), but not amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), according to a new study.

Experimental studies in animals have suggested that infection plays a role in developing some neurodegenerative diseases, but supporting evidence in humans is limited. In the new study, researchers used data on people diagnosed with AD, PD or ALS from 1970-2016 in Sweden and five matched controls per case, all identified from the Swedish National Patient Register. The analysis included 291,941 AD cases, 103,919 PD cases and 10,161 ALS cases.

A hospital-treated infection 5 or more years before diagnosis was associated with a 16% higher risk of AD (95%CI: 1.15-1.