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Is there a link between Alzheimer’s and cold sore and shingles infections?
Research points to a possible viral connection – and possible paths to minimising risks.
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Studies show that people who had shingles had only a slightly higher risk of developing dementia.
PHOTO: STOCK.ADOBE.COM
Ruth Itzhaki
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The common cold sore virus, which is often caught in childhood, usually stays in the body for life – quietly dormant in the nerves. Now and then, things like stress, illness or injury can trigger it, bringing on a cold sore in some people. This same virus – called herpes simplex virus type 1 – may also play an important role in something far more serious: Alzheimer’s disease.
Over 30 years ago, my colleagues and I made a surprising discovery. We found that this cold sore virus can be present in the brains of older people. It was the first clear sign that a virus could be quietly living in the brain, which was long thought to be completely germ-free – protected by the so-called “blood-brain barrier”.
