A US study suggests that regular vaccinations may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease. The study included two groups of test subjects over the age of 65, one of which was vaccinated and the other of which was not vaccinated. The vaccinated group received at least one vaccine against tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis, shingles, or pneumococcus. Over an eight-year period, those who received at least one of these vaccines were significantly less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease compared to those who did not.
Risk reduction varies by vaccine. The risk of Alzheimer’s disease among those vaccinated against tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis was 7.2 percent, compared to 10.2 percent among those who were not vaccinated. The risk among those vaccinated against shingles was 8.1 percent, compared to 10.7 percent among those who were not vaccinated. And among the pneumococcus vaccinated, the risk was 7.92 percent compared with 10.9 percent among the unvaccinated. A previous study found similar results for the flu vaccine.
Peter Perlitt, Secretary General of the German Society for Neurology (TGN), commented on the results and emphasized that a 25 to 30 percent risk reduction was significant. Although this is a retrospective analysis, the study sends a strong signal that routine vaccinations may reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease.
This article was originally published by our colleagues at Focus.de
