A new study has suggested a common stomach bug may increase the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease.
The health records of four million Britons aged 50 and above between 1988 and 2019 were studied by researchers at McGill University in Montreal, Canada.
Researchers found that people with a symptomatic Helicobacter pylori stomach bug had an 11 per cent higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, the most common type of dementia.
The bacterium is found in contaminated food, water and soil, and can also be easily passed from person to person via bodily fluids.
Alzheimer's warning: The common stomach bug that increases risk of developing illness
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The bacterium is common, with around 40 per cent of UK residents having it in their stomach. It does not cause problems for the majority of people who have it.
However, approximately 15 per cent of people will have a symptomatic infection which can also trigger indigestion, gastritis, ulcers, and even stomach cancer.
Researchers found increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s peaked at 24 per cent, between seven and 10 years after an infection with the bacterium, before dropping off again.
In Britain alone, there are estimated to be 944,000 people living with dementia, with the majority suffering from Alzheimer’s.
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The research suggested eradicating the bug help prevent about 200,000 cases
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The study’s senior author and professor in McGill’s department of medicine Dr Paul Brassard said: "Given the global ageing population, dementia numbers are expected to triple in the next 40 years.
"However, there remains a lack of effective treatment options for this disease."
“We hope the findings from this investigation will provide insight on the potential role of H. pylori in dementia in order to inform the development of prevention strategies, such as individualised eradication programs, to reduce infections at the population level.”
The research suggested eradicating the bug could help prevent about 200,000 cases of Alzheimer’s globally each year.
Last week, The Guardian reported two dementia medicines were set for approval in Britain, which aim to be the first to improve patients’ lives directly.
One of these medicines, lecanemab, was recently approved in the US and Japan, where treatments using it have already been launched.
The second drug, donanemab, is expected to follow soon.
Next year it is anticipated that the UK medical authorities will consider both of them for approval in Britain, however it is likely a diagnosis will be required for access to the drug.
