Herpes linked to half of Alzheimer’s cases

 The herpes virus is linked to half of all Alzheimer’s cases, research has found.

Prof Ruth Itzhaki, of Manchester University, said recent studies in Taiwan found antiviral drugs drastically reduced the risk of dementia in patients with severe herpes infections.

She explained her “striking results” were based on a lifetime of evidence that the virus – best known for its role in cold sores – fuels rogue amyloid beta proteins that destroy neurons.

Prof Itzhaki’s review, published in Frontiers in Ageing Neuroscience, raises the distant prospect of a simple preventive treatment for one of the most prevalent serious diseases.

Herpes viruses remain for life in neurons and immune cells, typically resurfacing in characteristic blisters when the body is run down by either stress or illness.

Most people are infected by the cold sore virus Herpes Simplex Virus 1 (HSV1) by the time they reach old age. It is a different strain from the HSV2 virus that causes genital sores.