A study on the association between infectious burden and Alzheimer’s disease

Commentary: Prior scientific studies have shown an association between borrelia and Alzheimer’s disease (AD), as well as inflammation and AD, but multi factorial etiologies have not been considered to play a role in the disease process. This article was just published in the European Journal of Neurology, and supports the multi factorial MSIDS model discussed in my book, where multiple overlapping infections increase the burden of chronic disease. The authors found that the infectious burden (bacterial burden and viral burden) with CMV, HSV-1, B. burgdoferi (Lyme disease), Chlamydia pneumoniae, and H. pylori were independently associated with AD after adjusting for age, gender, education, APOE genotype and various co morbidities. The conclusion of the study was that infection and inflammation play a role in the etiopathogenesis of AD. Multiple factors on the 16 point MSIDS map increase inflammation (such as various infections, environmental toxins and heavy metals, food allergies/sensitivities, zinc deficiency, sleep deprivation, and imbalances in the microbiome) and should be assessed in future studies to evaluate the risk for AD.

A study on the association between infectious burden and Alzheimer’s disease, European Journal of Neurology