Antiviral treatment associated with reduced risk of clinical Alzheimer's disease : A nested case-control study

• Introduction: In this nested case-control study, we investigated if antiviral treatment given prior to onset of Alzheimer's disease (AD) could influence incident AD.Methods: From a large population-based cohort study in northern Sweden, 262 individuals that later developed AD were compared to a non-AD matched control group with respect to prescriptions of herpes antiviral treatment. All included subjects were herpes simplex virus 1 (HSV1) carriers and the matching criteria were age, sex, apolipoprotein E genotype (ε4 allele carriership), and study sample start year.Results: Among those who developed AD, 6 prescriptions of antivirals were found, compared to 20 among matched controls. Adjusted for length of follow-up, a conditional logistic regression indicated a difference in the risk for AD development between groups (odds ratio for AD with an antiviral prescription 0.287, P = .018).Discussion: Antiviral treatment might possibly reduce the risk for later development of HSV1-associated AD.

Subject headings

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Geriatrik (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Geriatrics (hsv//eng)

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Medicinska och farmaceutiska grundvetenskaper -- Neurovetenskaper (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Basic Medicine -- Neurosciences (hsv//eng)

Keyword

Alzheimer’s disease

antiviral treatment

apolipoprotein E gene

dementia

herpes simplex

major neurocognitive disorder

nested case-control study

Publication and Content Type

ref (subject category)

art (subject category)