These adult vaccines could reduce risk of Alzheimer’s in seniors, study says: ‘Increased immune response’
Vaccination against shingles, pneumonia and other diseases could potentially reduce the risk of disease in adults Alzheimer's diseaseaccording to a new study from the University of Texas Health Science Center in Houston.
Researchers found that people who received Vaccinations against shingles and pneumonia – along with tetanus and diphtheria – up to a 30% lower risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, the most common form of dementia.
The study was recently published online in the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease.
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Those who received the Tdap vaccine for tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough had a 30% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's.
Patients who received the pneumococcal vaccine – which protects against bacteria that can lead to pneumonia, meningitis and sepsis – were 27% less likely to be diagnosed with Alzheimer's.
Vaccination against shingles, pneumonia and other diseases could potentially reduce adults' risk of developing Alzheimer's, according to a new study. (iStock)
The study found that vaccination against shingles was associated with a 25% reduced risk.
Researchers followed patients who were at least 65 years old at the start of the eight-year study period and who had not had dementia for the past two years.
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They compared groups of vaccinated and unvaccinated patients for each of the vaccines, examining the incidence of Alzheimer's diagnoses.
A little over a year ago, the same research team published another study showing that people got at least one of these influenza vaccine had a 40% lower rate of Alzheimer's disease than their unvaccinated peers, the press release said.
According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than six million people are living with Alzheimer's disease in the United States. (iStock)
“We wondered if the influenza finding was specific to the flu vaccine,” said senior author Paul E. Schulz, professor of neurodegenerative diseases at the Umphrey Family and director of the Neurocognitive Disorders Center at McGovern Medical School, in a press release from The University of Texas.
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“These data showed that multiple adult vaccinations were also associated with a reduction in Alzheimer's risk,” he added.
“This effect is likely the result of an enhanced immune response to amyloid plaques or their upstream precursors,” said Dr. Florida's Brett Osborn told Fox News Digital. (Dr Brett Osborn)
dr Brett Osborn, a board-certified neurosurgeon in West Palm Beach, Flawho also runs an anti-aging facility called Senolytix, was not involved in the study but reviewed the results.
“This needs to be carefully studied, but there is growing evidence that regular vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's.”
“This effect is likely the result of an enhanced immune response to amyloid plaques or their upstream precursors,” he told Fox News Digital.
“Essentially, the surveillance of the immune system – against amyloid – has improved, possibly as a result of the vaccine, improving amyloid clearance from the brain,” he continued.
“This enhanced scavenging function would directly limit amyloid formation and potentially slow disease onset.”
As people age, Osborn says, people's immune systems begin to weaken, making them more susceptible to disease cancers and infections.
“The bottom line is that as we age, we are less able to search our insides for abnormal cells (or infectious pathogens),” Osborn said.
“In this case, despite their non-specificity for amyloid plaques, these vaccines alter the state of our immune system and give it a welcome boost, at least as far as Alzheimer's disease is concerned.”
He added: “So is this a cheap, unintended, low-cost version of immunotherapy? That remains to be seen.”
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dr Marc Siegel, Professor of Medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical worker agreed that this study showed a link but did not prove the vaccines reduced risk.
“This needs to be carefully studied, but there is growing evidence that regular vaccination is associated with a reduced risk of Alzheimer's,” he said.
Researchers found that people who received certain shingles and pneumonia vaccines — along with tetanus and diphtheria — had up to a 30% reduced risk of developing Alzheimer's. (iStock)
“I believe that's because you're cranking the pump, which means a healthy immune system, which is already alert to viruses because of the vaccines we're taking, can also target neuro-inflammation and abnormal proteins that lead to Alzheimer's.” ‘ said Seal.
The study authors believe these results support the importance of adult access to immunizations as a more cost-effective means of preventing dementia.
“Is this a cheap, unintended, low-cost variant of immunotherapy? That remains to be seen.”
“In recent years, the field of Alzheimer's disease has expanded tremendously, particularly with the recent FDA approval of anti-amyloid antibody drugs,” said co-first author Kristofer Harris, program manager in the Department of Neurology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, in the press release.
“Adult vaccinations are widely available and already routinely given as part of a vaccination schedule,” said the first co-author of the new study. (iStock)
“However, these drugs require expensive infrastructure to be safely administered,” Harris added.
“Conversely, vaccinations for adults are widespread and already routinely given as part of a vaccination schedule.”
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According to the Alzheimer's Association, more than six million people are living with Alzheimer's disease in the United States.
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Nearly 13 million Americans are expected to be diagnosed with the disease by 2050.
