Helicobacter pylori, herpes simplex virus-1, varicella-zoster virus, and dementia risk.

INTRODUCTION

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), herpes simplex-1 (HSV-1), and varicella-zoster virus (VZV) could increase dementia risk; however, evidence from large cohorts with long-term follow-up is scarce.

METHODS

Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional-hazards models were used to investigate the association between H. pylori, HSV-1, and VZV seropositivity and dementia risk over 24 years in 8550 participants from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer in Norfolk study in the United Kingdom.

RESULTS

H. pylori (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.09 to 1.41), but not HSV-1 (HR = 1.03, 95% CI: 0.91 to 1.18) or VZV (HR = 1.01, 95% CI: 0.86 to 1.19), was associated with dementia risk. The H. pylori-dementia association remained robust among incident cases >15 years after blood draw (HR = 1.26, 95% CI: 1.06 to 1.48). Seropositive tertiles of the H. pylori antibodies CagA (p = 0.007) and GroEL (p = 0.001) demonstrated significant trends with dementia risk.

DISCUSSION: H. pylori may represent a novel dementia prevention target, although early-life socioeconomic factors might confound the association.