Infection with the bacteria Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) affects around 40% of the population, according to data from the Spanish Digestive System Foundation (FEAD), which also warns that in “populations with lower socioeconomic status and worse conditions health services reaches 80%.” This infection usually occurs in childhood and lasts throughout life, but it only causes symptoms in around 10-25% of those infected.
It has been proven that H. pylori infection is the main cause of gastric and duodenal ulcers and gastritis, and that it can even cause stomach cancer, although in many cases those affected only experience stomach discomfort, heartburn or poor digestion. Now, a new study has found that this globally prevalent bacteria also increases the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease by 11% in people aged 50 or older.
The study was carried out by scientists at McGill University (Canada), who investigated whether a clinically evident infection with Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) increased the risk of Alzheimer’s disease in people aged 50 years or older. Specifically, they analyzed health data from 4,262,092 people without dementia who were 50 years old or older between 1988 and 2017. After an average follow-up of 11 years, 40,455 of these individuals developed Alzheimer’s.
Eradicate infections to prevent Alzheimer’s
The results of the work have been published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association and show that people with symptomatic H. pylori infection had an 11% higher risk of suffering from Alzheimer’s, the most common type of dementia. The increased risk of Alzheimer’s peaked at 24% a decade after the onset of clinically evident H. pylori infection, and the results did not vary by age or sex.
“Our findings support the notion of H. pylori infection as a possible modifiable risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease. They also pave the way for future randomized trials that would evaluate the impact and cost-effectiveness of population-based interventions, such as individualized Helicobacter pylori eradication programs,” the authors wrote.
“We hope that the findings of this research will provide information on the potential role of H. pylori in dementia to contribute to the development of prevention strategies.”
Alzheimer’s disease affects millions of people worldwide and numbers are expected to rise sharply as demographics change, researchers say. “Given the aging of the world’s population, dementia numbers are expected to triple in the next 40 years. However, there remains a lack of effective treatment options for this disease,” said Dr. Paul Brassard, senior author of the study and professor in the Department of Medicine at McGill.
“We hope that the findings of this research will provide information on the potential role of H. pylori in dementia to contribute to the development of prevention strategies, such as individualized eradication programs, to reduce infections at the population level,” said Dr. Brassard. , who also practices as a public health and preventive medicine physician at the McGill University Health Center.
