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CHICAGO, July 27, 2020 /PRNewswire=KYODO JBN/ --

Flu (influenza) and pneumonia vaccinations are associated with reduced risk of

Alzheimer's disease, according to new research reported at the Alzheimer's

Association International Conference(R) (

https://c212.net/c/link/?t=0&l=en&o=2867701-1&h=1515648486&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.alz.org%2Faaic&a=Alzheimer%27s+Association+International+Conference

) (AAIC(R)) 2020.

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Three research studies reported at AAIC 2020 suggest:

     -- At least one flu vaccination was associated with a 17% reduction in

        Alzheimer's incidence. More frequent flu vaccination was associated

        with another 13% reduction in Alzheimer's incidence.

     -- Vaccination against pneumonia between ages 65 and 75 reduced

        Alzheimer's risk by up to 40% depending on individual genes.

     -- Individuals with dementia have a higher risk of dying (6-fold) after

        infections than those without dementia (3-fold).

"With the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccines are at the forefront of public health

discussions. It is important to explore their benefit in not only protecting

against viral or bacterial infection but also improving long-term health

outcomes," said Maria C. Carrillo, Ph.D., Alzheimer's Association chief science

officer.

"It may turn out to be as simple as if you're taking care of your health in

this way — getting vaccinated — you're also taking care of yourself in other

ways, and these things add up to lower risk of Alzheimer's and other

dementias," Carrillo said. "This research, while early, calls for further

studies in large, diverse clinical trials to inform whether vaccinations as a

public health strategy decrease our risk for developing dementia as we age."

Seasonal Flu Vaccine May Reduce Incidence of Alzheimer's Dementia

Previous research has suggested vaccinations may have a protective factor

against cognitive decline, but there have been no large, comprehensive studies

focused on the influenza (flu) vaccine and Alzheimer's disease risk,

specifically. To address this gap, Albert Amran, a medical student at McGovern

Medical School at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, and

team, investigated a large American health record dataset (n=9,066).

Amran and team found having one flu vaccination was associated with a lower

prevalence of Alzheimer's (odds ratio 0.83, p<0.0001), and among vaccinated

patients receiving the flu vaccine more frequently was associated with an even

lower prevalence of Alzheimer's (odds ratio 0.87, p=0.0342). Thus, people that

consistently got their annual flu shot had a lower risk of Alzheimer's. This

translated to an almost 6% reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease for patients

between the ages of 75-84 for 16 years.

The researchers found the protective association between the flu vaccine and

the risk of Alzheimer's was strongest for those who received their first

vaccine at a younger age — for example, the people who received their first

documented flu shot at age 60 benefitted more than those who received their

first flu shot at age 70.

"Our study suggests that regular use of a very accessible and relatively cheap

intervention — the flu shot — may significantly reduce risk of Alzheimer's

dementia," Amran said. "More research is needed to explore the biological

mechanism for this effect — why and how it works in the body — which is

important as we explore effective preventive therapies for Alzheimer's."

Pneumonia Vaccine May Reduce Alzheimer's Risk Later in Life

Repurposing of existing vaccines may be a promising approach to Alzheimer's

disease prevention. Svetlana Ukraintseva, Ph.D., Associate Research Professor

in the Biodemography of Aging Research Unit (BARU) at Duke University Social

Science Research Institute, and team, investigated associations between

pneumococcal vaccination, with and without an accompanying seasonal flu shot,

and the risk of Alzheimer's disease among 5,146 participants age 65+ from the

Cardiovascular Health Study. The team also took into account a known genetic

risk factor for Alzheimer's — the rs2075650 G allele in the TOMM40 gene.

The researchers found that pneumococcal vaccination between ages 65-75 reduced

risk of developing Alzheimer's by 25-30% after adjusting for sex, race, birth

cohort, education, smoking, and number of G alleles. The largest reduction in

the risk of Alzheimer's (up to 40%) was observed among people vaccinated

against pneumonia who were non-carriers of the risk gene. Total number of

vaccinations against pneumonia and the flu between ages 65 and 75 was also

associated with a lower risk of Alzheimer's; however, the effect was not

evident for the flu shot alone.

"Vaccinations against pneumonia before age 75 may reduce Alzheimer's risk later

in life, depending on individual genotype," Ukraintseva said. "These data

suggest that pneumococcal vaccine may be a promising candidate for personalized

Alzheimer's prevention, particularly in non-carriers of certain risk genes."

Infection Substantially Increases Mortality in People with Dementia

People living with dementia commonly experience other health conditions

including viral, bacterial, and other infections. There is a growing trend in

research to investigate whether infections might be worsening, more

life-threatening or possibly causing dementia.

Janet Janbek, a Ph.D. student at the Danish Dementia Research Centre,

Rigshospitalet and the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, and team, used data

from national health registries to investigate mortality in Danish residents

over age 65 (n=1,496,436) who had visited the hospital with an infection. They

found that people with both dementia and such hospital visits died at a 6.5

times higher rate compared with people who had neither. Study participants with

either dementia alone or infection-related contacts alone had a threefold

increased rate. The rate of mortality was highest within the first 30 days

following the hospital visit.

The researchers also found that for people living with dementia the mortality

rates remained elevated for 10 years after the initial infection-related

hospital visit, and mortality rates from all infections (including major

infections like sepsis to minor ear infections) were higher compared with

people without dementia or without an infection-related hospital visit.

"Our study supports the need to investigate these relations even further; to

find out why infections are linked to higher mortality in people with dementia,

specifically which risk factors and biological mechanisms are involved. This

will help advance our understanding of the role of infections in dementia,"

said Janbek.

"Our study suggests that the health care system — as well as relatives of

people with dementia — should have increased awareness of people with dementia

who get infections, so they get the medical care they need. People with

dementia require more specialized treatment even when their hospital visits are

not directly due to their dementia but to what might appear to be an unrelated

infection," Janbek added.

About the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC)

The Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) is the world's

largest gathering of researchers from around the world focused on Alzheimer's

and other dementias. As a part of the Alzheimer's Association's research

program, AAIC serves as a catalyst for generating new knowledge about dementia

and fostering a vital, collegial research community.

     -- AAIC 2020 home page: www.alz.org/aaic/  

     -- AAIC 2020 newsroom: www.alz.org/aaic/pressroom.asp

     -- AAIC 2020 hashtag: #AAIC20

About the Alzheimer's Association

The Alzheimer's Association is a worldwide voluntary health organization

dedicated to Alzheimer's care, support and research. Our mission is to lead the

way to end Alzheimer's and all other dementia — by accelerating global

research, driving risk reduction and early detection, and maximizing quality

care and support. Visit www.alz.org or call 800.272.3900.  

Albert Amran, et al. Influenza Vaccination is associated with a reduced

incidence of Alzheimer's Disease (Funder(s): U.S. National Institutes of

Health, Christopher Sarofim Family Professorship, the CPRIT RR180012, UT Stars

award)

     -- Svetlana Ukraintseva, PhD, et al. Repurposing of existing vaccines

        for personalized prevention of Alzheimer's disease: Vaccination

        against pneumonia may reduce AD risk depending on genotype (Funded by

        U.S. National Institute on Aging)

     -- Janet Janbek, MSc, et al. Increased short- and long-term mortality

        following infections in dementia: A prospective nationwide and

        registry-based cohort study (Funder(s): )

SOURCE  Alzheimer's Association

CONTACT: Alzheimer's Association Media Line, 312.335.4078, media@alz.org; AAIC

2020 Press Office, aaicmedia@alz.org