Herpes Simplex Virus - Connection Between Facial Sores and Alzheimer's Disease

Connection Between Facial Sores and Alzheimer's Disease

In the presence of a certain gene variation (APOE-epsilon4 allele carriers), a possible link between HSV-1 (i.e., the virus that causes cold sores or oral herpes) and Alzheimer's disease was reported in 1979. HSV-1 appears to be particularly damaging to the nervous system and increases one’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease. The virus interacts with the components and receptors of lipoproteins, which may lead to the development of Alzheimer's disease. This research identifies HSVs as the pathogen most clearly linked to the establishment of Alzheimer’s. According to a study done in 1997, without the presence of the gene allele, HSV-1 does not appear to cause any neurological damage or increase the risk of Alzheimer’s. However, a more recent prospective study from 2008 with a cohort of several thousand people showed a high correlation between seropositivity for HSV and Alzheimer's disease, without direct correlation to the APOE-epsilon4 allele.

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