Sidebar

Alzheimer’s disease: mounting evidence that herpes virus is a cause

crimsonaudio

crimsonaudio

Administrator
Staff member
Sep 9, 2002
63,451
67,350
462
crimsonaudio.net
This could be an amazing discovery...

More than 30m people worldwide suffer from Alzheimer’s disease – the most common form of dementia. Unfortunately, there is no cure, only drugs to ease the symptoms. However, my latest review, suggests a way to treat the disease. I found the strongest evidence yet that the herpes virus is a cause of Alzheimer’s, suggesting that effective and safe antiviral drugs might be able to treat the disease. We might even be able to vaccinate our children against it.

The virus implicated in Alzheimer’s disease, herpes simplex virus type 1 (HSV1), is better known for causing cold sores. It infects most people in infancy and then remains dormant in the peripheral nervous system (the part of the nervous system that isn’t the brain and the spinal cord). Occasionally, if a person is stressed, the virus becomes activated and, in some people, it causes cold sores.

We discovered in 1991 that in many elderly people HSV1 is also present in the brain. And in 1997 we showed that it confers a strong risk of Alzheimer’s disease when present in the brain of people who have a specific gene known as APOE4.

The virus can become active in the brain, perhaps repeatedly, and this probably causes cumulative damage. The likelihood of developing Alzheimer’s disease is 12 times greater for APOE4 carriers who have HSV1 in the brain than for those with neither factor.
Click to expand...
Alzheimer’s disease: mounting evidence that herpes virus is a caus
 
DzynKingRTR

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,393
29,693
287
Vinings, ga., usa
My paternal grandmother had this horrible disease. It is absolutely horrible to watch someone slowly die from this. A cure is long overdue. Hopefully this is the breakthrough everyone has been looking for. So if I have never had a cold sore is that good?
 
NationalTitles18

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
29,865
35,178
362
Mountainous Northern California
I'm skeptical but hopeful on this. Every "breakthrough" in understanding or treating Alzheimer's has been met with a solid rebuke by the disease.

I will note that around the time my mother began declining in addition to extreme stress she had shingles, which is herpes zoster (a different virus than that being implicated here).

There is a chance this is merely coincidence since so many people have HSV Type I virus and many of those do not go on to develop Alzheimer's.
 
DzynKingRTR

DzynKingRTR

TideFans Legend
Dec 17, 2003
42,393
29,693
287
Vinings, ga., usa
NationalTitles17 said:
I'm skeptical but hopeful on this. Every "breakthrough" in understanding or treating Alzheimer's has been met with a solid rebuke by the disease.

I will note that around the time my mother began declining in addition to extreme stress she had shingles, which is herpes zoster (a different virus than that being implicated here).

There is a chance this is merely coincidence since so many people have HSV Type I virus and many of those do not go on to develop Alzheimer's.
Click to expand...
My grandmother also had shingles.
 
GrayTide

GrayTide

Hall of Fame
Nov 15, 2005
18,828
6,307
187
Greenbow, Alabama
Thanks, Brad a very informative article. It would be great if this proves to be, at least, a start to research to find a cure for this horrible, life altering disease.
 
TIDE-HSV

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,610
39,827
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
NationalTitles17 said:
I'm skeptical but hopeful on this. Every "breakthrough" in understanding or treating Alzheimer's has been met with a solid rebuke by the disease.

I will note that around the time my mother began declining in addition to extreme stress she had shingles, which is herpes zoster (a different virus than that being implicated here).

There is a chance this is merely coincidence since so many people have HSV Type I virus and many of those do not go on to develop Alzheimer's.
Click to expand...
This was my first reaction also. Association doesn't mean causation and there have been a number of association with dementia discovered which eventually proved to be dry holes. I, like almost all my age, had chickenpox as a child. I'm having the second shot of the new vaccine, which is supposed to be 98% effective, this week. Despite the wide distribution of HSV-1, not to mention Herpes Zoster, I know of no dementia in either my mother or father's families, and many of them lived into their 90s...
 
twofbyc

twofbyc

Hall of Fame
Oct 14, 2009
12,222
3,371
187
TIDE-HSV said:
This was my first reaction also. Association doesn't mean causation and there have been a number of association with dementia discovered which eventually proved to be dry holes. I, like almost all my age, had chickenpox as a child. I'm having the second shot of the new vaccine, which is supposed to be 98% effective, this week. Despite the wide distribution of HSV-1, not to mention Herpes Zoster, I know of no dementia in either my mother or father's families, and many of them lived into their 90s...
Click to expand...
I’m almost positive I never had chicken pox or measles as a kid (or anytime since). No one seems to think that’s possible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
TIDE-HSV

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,610
39,827
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
twofbyc said:
I’m almost positive I never had chicken pox or measles as a kid (or anytime since). No one seems to think that’s possible.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
That does beggar the imagination for anyone over 65. No friends or relatives. Live in the wilderness? :D
 
TIDE-HSV

TIDE-HSV

Senior Administrator
Staff member
Oct 13, 1999
84,610
39,827
437
Huntsville, AL,USA
NationalTitles17 said:
I had chicken pox - twice! Most think that is impossible. It's rare, but possible as I can attest. Both cases diagnosed by a capable MD.
Click to expand...
I also had more rashes than they had names for. That is worrisome, though. Have you had the Shingrix? My wife's sisters have had shingles more than once, including one now taking a preventive drug (breast cancer survivor), so Liz was happy to take the new vaccine...
 
twofbyc

twofbyc

Hall of Fame
Oct 14, 2009
12,222
3,371
187
TIDE-HSV said:
That does beggar the imagination for anyone over 65. No friends or relatives. Live in the wilderness? :D
Click to expand...
I don’t remember any siblings ( had six) ever having it and neither do they. I did have the mumps.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
NationalTitles18

NationalTitles18

TideFans Legend
May 25, 2003
29,865
35,178
362
Mountainous Northern California
TIDE-HSV said:
I also had more rashes than they had names for. That is worrisome, though. Have you had the Shingrix? My wife's sisters have had shingles more than once, including one now taking a preventive drug (breast cancer survivor), so Liz was happy to take the new vaccine...
Click to expand...
I haven't hit the big 5-0 quite yet, but I'll probably get it when I do.

I'm a Hep B vaccine non-responder (despite several series and boosters) so it may just be something I have to manage riskwise and who knows if the vaccine will be effective for me. Worth a try, though.

I really don't want chicken pox again, though. Horrible stuff.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

New Posts

Latest threads

TideFans.shop - NEW Stuff!

TideFans.shop - Get YOUR Bama Gear HERE!”></a> <br /> <!--/ END TideFans.shop & item link \--> <p style= Purchases made through our TideFans.shop and Amazon.com links may result in a commission being paid to TideFans.

Top Bottom