Link Between Herpes Type 1 and Alzheimers
If you are burdened by the Herpes Simplex Type 1 virus. you should be aware that there are strong links between the Herpes Type 1 and Alzheimers. Alzheimer’s or frequently called, dementia, is a disease characterized by slow, progressive decline in mental function, affecting the memory, thinking, judgment, and the ability to learn new information. An individual suffering from this condition will typically have troubles using language and performing daily activities, will manifest changes in personality, may be disoriented and have abnormal behavior. Symptoms progress slowly, leading to severe impairments and dementia is the number 1 reason for more than half of admissions to nursing homes in the US. Most cases of dementia are the Alzheimer’s type.
There is an increased level of research based evidence that herpes simplex type 1 virus (HSV-1) plays a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. This hypothesis was proposed initially the early 1980s by Dr Melvyn Ball, a neuropathologist at Oregon State University, and since then scientists have gathered more information supporting this association, including the following findings:
The DNA of herpes type 1 virus is found in 90% of elder individuals, including those affected by Alzheimer’s disease (and this form of dementia is typically found in elderly)
Herpes type 1 virus can stay dormant or can be reactivated in a person who was infected with this virus, and thus, once you become infected with this virus, it will stay in your body for the rest of your life.
Antibodies to the herpes type 1 virus has been found in the cerebrospinal fluid of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Herpes virus type 1 is associated with inflammation. Certain factors of inflammation have been identified in both herpes type 1 infections and Alzheimer’s disease.
Herpes type 1 may contribute directly to the formation of so called amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain, two findings that are very specific to Alzheimer’s disease. In fact, the diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease is confirmed only with autopsy. During the autopsy, a sample of tissue from the brain is taken and examined under a microscope. Specific and confirmatory findings for Alzheimer’s are: loss of brain cells, neurofibrillary tangles, and senile plaques containing amyloid seen especially in the temporal lobe, the part of the brain involved in forming new memories.
Herpes type 1 infections are also associated with the accumulation of cholesterol in the infected cells. This finding was previously linked with the formation of amyloid plaque that is characteristic to individuals affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
Herpes type 1 virus causes inflammation in the same areas of the brain affected by Alzheimer’s disease.
The long term complications of brain inflammation caused by herpes type 1 include memory loss, the hallmark symptom of Alzheimer’s disease.
The replication of the herpes type 1 virus is suppressed when there is a high level of the amino acid, lysine, and low levels of the amino acid, arginine, in the body. At the same time, studies found that diets high in lysine and low in arginine correlate with decreased incidence of Alzheimer’s disease.
- These findings are indeed important, because currently there is no effective treatment for curing Alzheimer’s disease or other types of dementia. Scientists are now evaluating anti-herpes drugs and natural supplements, such as lysine, to prevent or reduce the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. This correlation between herpes simplex type 1 and Alzheimer’s type dementia offers hope that in the future this disease may be effectively prevented and treated.
References:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2987503/
http://www.merckmanuals.com/home/brain_spinal_cord_and_nerve_disorders/delirium_and_dementia/dementia.html