People who have received at least one flu shot are 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease during the first four years of vaccination.
It is the conclusion of a study by the University of Houston.
The investigation, led by Avram S. Bukhbinder y Paul E. Schulzhas compared the risk of incidence of this neurological disease between patients with and without previous vaccination against the virus of the influenzacommonly known as the flu.
The participants, residents of the United States, were 65 years of age or older.
This study has been carried out two years after researchers found “a possible link” between the flu vaccine and a lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
In Spain, according to data from the Spanish Society of Neurology (SEN), more than 800,000 people are diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.
Lower risk if administered annually
It is the main cause of dementia and “the disease that generates the greatest disability in the elderly” in our country. The prevalence of this dementia increases “exponentially” from the age of 65.
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“The strength of this protective effect increased with the number of years a person received an annual flu shot. In other words, the rate of developing Alzheimer’s was lower among those who consistently received the flu shot every year,” explains Bukhbinder, a doctor at Massachusetts General Hospital in the United States.
Throughout the four years in which this study has been carried out, it has been discovered that 5.1% of the patients who were inoculated against the flu (an infection that causes more than 170,000 hospitalizations in that country) had developed Alzheimer’s.
Alzheimer’s affects more than six million people worldwide. USA. As this study emphasizes, the number of patients continues to increase due to the aging of the population.
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In contrast, 8.5% of the patients who had not received any dose were diagnosed with Alzheimer’s during the follow-up of this investigation.
The rate of developing Alzheimer’s was lower among those who received the flu shot every year
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Nearly two million Americans have participated in the world-first research.
Thus, the specialists emphasize the “strong protective effect of the flu vaccine, also against the disease of Alzheimer’s”.
“Since there is evidence that various vaccines can protect against Alzheimer’s disease, we think it is not a specific effect of the flu vaccine,” says Paul E. Schulz.
Other studies, as the authors emphasize, “have revealed a decreased risk of dementia associated with previous exposure to other vaccines such as the one administered against tetanus, the poliomyelitis and herpes”.
Alzheimer’s: Symptoms and Treatment
Every year more than 40,000 new cases of Alzheimer’s are diagnosed in Spain. The first symptoms and signs that should alert us are:
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Loss of memory.
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Mood swings and even depression.
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Language problems.
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Visual or space difficulties.
According to experts, these symptoms manifest themselves progressively and gradually. The evolution can last between 5 and 15 years.
The Spanish Society of Neurology It is estimated that between 30 and 40% of Alzheimer’s cases are undiagnosed. This situation prevents the pharmacological treatment indicated for the disease from being started early.
Of course, the currently available medications “only manage to slow down the progression of symptoms.” Therefore, “their severity is not reduced or cognitive function is not restored.”
But can it be avoided?
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The doctor Juan Fortea stresses that “it is estimated that half of the cases of Alzheimer’s disease can be attributed to nine potentially modifiable risk factors.”
The risk factors, according to the neurologist specialized in neurodegenerative diseases, are:
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Diabetes mellitus.
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Arterial hypertension in middle age of life.
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Obesity in middle age of life.
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smoking.
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Physical inactivity.
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Depression.
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Cognitive inactivity.
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Low educational level.
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Hearing loss (total or partial inability to perceive sounds).
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Social isolation.
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