A study conducted in the United States of America showed that routine vaccinations can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. The study included two groups of people over the age of 65, one of which was vaccinated and the other was not. The vaccinated group received at least one vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis, shingles, or pneumococcal. Over an eight-year period, it was observed that those who received at least one of these vaccinations were less likely to develop Alzheimer's disease than those who were not vaccinated.
The risk reduction varied depending on the vaccination. The risk of developing Alzheimer's disease among those vaccinated against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis was 7.2 percent compared with 10.2 percent among those who were not vaccinated. The risk among those vaccinated against shingles was 8.1 percent compared with 10.7 percent among those who were not vaccinated. Among those vaccinated against pneumococcal conjugates, the risk was 7.92 percent compared with 10.9 percent among those who were not vaccinated. Similar results were found for influenza vaccination in a previous study.
Peter Berlet, Secretary General of the German Society for Neurology (DGN), commented on the results and stressed that a risk reduction of 25 to 30 percent was significant. Although this analysis was retrospective, the study sends a serious signal that routine vaccinations can reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer's disease.
This article was first published by our colleagues at Focus.de.
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