Severe infections may increase risk of dementia - study

Severe infections requiring hospital treatment may be associated with an increased risk of dementia. Scientists from Finland came to this conclusion after analysing data from tens of thousands of patients.

The study used Finnish national medical registries: more than 62 thousand people with dementia and more than 300 thousand people without this diagnosis for comparison.

Details

The scientists studied what diseases were recorded in patients in the 20 years before the diagnosis. As a result, they identified 29 diseases associated with an increased risk of dementia. Almost half of the patients with dementia had at least one of them previously.

Among these factors were infections - in particular urinary tract infections and bacterial infections. And the link between infections and dementia persisted even after accounting for other conditions that can also influence risk.

Why it matters

The researchers estimated that infections occurred an average of 5-6 years before a dementia diagnosis. This may indicate that they can accelerate changes in the brain that have already begun.

The link was particularly notable for dementia with an early onset - before the age of 65. In this case, several types of infections, including pneumonia and even tooth decay, were associated with an increased risk.

The authors emphasise that the study does not prove a direct causal relationship. Perhaps the results are influenced by other factors that could not be taken into account.

Nevertheless, scientists believe that prevention and timely treatment of infections can potentially play a role in reducing the risk of dementia. More research is needed to confirm this.

Source

The study was published in the journal PLOS Medicine.