Dr. Noa Bergman explains what causes Alzheimer's, is there a way to prevent the disease, and how do you treat someone who has already had the disease?
Alzheimer's disease is a serious disease that affects about 40 million people worldwide, and it is currently considered an incurable disease.
It is a degenerative disease that affects the human brain and causes problems with memory, thinking and behavior, and worsens over time.
In recent years, many studies have been carried out regarding the causes of the disease.
A new and groundbreaking study recently published in the medical magazine Alzheimer's and Dementia indicates a possible connection between a common stomach infection with Helicobacter pylori - a very common bacterium in the digestive system - and the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The purpose of the study
The study was designed to test whether people who suffered from a stomach infection with Helicobacter pylori had an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The researchers examined a large group of subjects based on medical data of a population in the United Kingdom, which includes over 4 million subjects aged 50 and over.
Helicobacter pylori/ShutterStock
The research findings
Among the 4,262,092 subjects without dementia at the beginning of the follow-up period, 40,455 developed Alzheimer's disease after an average follow-up of 11 years.
It is important to note that stomach infection with Helicobacter pylori was associated with an 11% increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among people aged 50 and over.
This risk reached a peak of approximately 24%, a decade after the appearance of the bacterial stomach infection.
Intriguingly, the use of Salmonella infection as a negative control for exposure to the infection did not show an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease, lending credence to the main findings of the study.
The background for the study
The research findings are consistent with previous clues obtained in observational studies that showed that various pollutants, including the bacterium Helicobacter pylori, may play a role in the development of Alzheimer's disease.
These pollutants may reach the brain through different routes, which may lead to inflammation of nerve cells, nerve damage, and ultimately to the process of neurodegeneration.
Considering the limitations of the previous studies, including small sample sizes and additional problems with the research methods, the current study aims to fill in the knowledge gaps that were missing.
The current study demonstrated a moderate, yet statistically significant increase in the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease associated with Helicobacter pylori infection.
A female doctor looks at brain scans/ShutterStock
Future directions and implications
The current study not only provides important insights into the possible relationship between Helicobacter pylori infection and Alzheimer's disease but also provides a possible direction for future research and possible interventions.
The study shows that Helicobacter pylori can be a modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.
Looking ahead, the study paves the way for studies examining the impact and cost-effectiveness of targeted interventions, such as individualized treatment plans to eradicate Helicobacter pylori infection in the stomach.
This could open another channel to our ability to prevent and treat Alzheimer's disease, and give hope to millions of people around the world.
Importance and strength of research
The study was based on clinical data of a population in England without dementia aged 50 and over and followed them from 1988 to 2017. In addition, the most rigorous research methods were used.
The strength of the study comes from the size of the sample that included over four million subjects, and from the fact that factors that could obscure the results of the study were taken into account.
Additional sensitivity analyzes further supported the strength of the study's initial findings.
In conclusion, the study demonstrates a significant relationship between clinical infection with Helicobacter pylori and an increased risk of Alzheimer's disease.
This finding opens up the possibility of future interventions that may be able to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
The study illuminates the importance of continuing to examine the relationship between seemingly unrelated medical conditions, such as in this case where the relationship between infection by a bacterium in the stomach and the development of Alzheimer's disease was examined.
Finding such connections between different medical conditions will allow us to better prevent and treat diseases that so far have had no effective treatment.
Dr. Dalit Dariman Medina is an expert in family medicine and integrative and functional medicine
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brain
dementia
Alzheimer's
Intestines