Professor Paul Schulz, of the McGovern Medical School in Houston, said the flu vaccine also has the “tremendous benefit” of reducing the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by up to 40%
People having their flu jab will get the “tremendous benefit” of having their chances of developing Alzheimer’s disease slashed, according to a scientist.
Professor Paul Schulz, of the McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston, led a team that found that people who have at least one flu vaccine were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease over a four year period. As people prepare for the onset of winter and are being encouraged to get the flu jab in the UK to put less pressure on the NHS, this is another important incentive. Further research by Prof Shulz this year found that vaccines for other diseases such as shingles, pneumococcal pneumonia and tetanus, diptheria and pertussis (whopping cough), has also been found to reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of dementia in the UK. Dementia is the name for a group of symptoms associated with an ongoing decline of brain functioning. It can affect memory, thinking skills and other mental abilities. The exact cause of Alzheimer’s disease is not yet fully understood, although a number of things are thought to increase your risk of developing the condition, states the NHS.
On the use of vaccines to reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s, Paul Schulz told the Washington Post: “Vaccines are the great public health success story of our generation. They keep you safe from any number of infections, many of which can be life-threatening. And now it appears there is another tremendous benefit, this one against a disease that is among the most feared.”
While a number of studies have found that the flu jab reduces the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease, it is not clear why it does so. One theory is that infections lead to the illness and the chance of picking them up is less likely thanks to the jab. Prof Schulz believes that the vaccines could reduce the immune system’s reaction to amyloid plaque, a protein that is found in abnormally high levels in Alzheimer’s patients. As the plaque is seen as bad, inflammation is caused as an immune response which in turn kills neurons and contributes to dementia.
Another possibility is that the vaccines strengthen the immune’s system’s ability to get rid of the amyloid plaque. “Fewer plaques lead to less inflammation and less brain cell loss,” Schulz said, adding: “We aren’t sure yet exactly what the mechanism is, but something is going on with the brain and the immune system that seems to make a big difference.”
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