Numerous factors contribute to the risk of dementia, and scientists may have identified another significant one: severe infections, particularly of the urinary tract and bladder.
In a recent investigation, researchers from the University of Helsinki in Finland found a strong association between severe urinary tract infections (UTIs) and other bacterial diseases with an increased risk of developing dementia in later years, regardless of other existing conditions.
This finding is crucial because, although severe infections have previously been associated with dementia risk, it wasn’t clear if other non-infectious diseases were influencing the statistics.
Various conditions, such as diabetes and heart disease, can increase the risk of both infections and dementia. Therefore, the ability of researchers to isolate infectious diseases as a factor is noteworthy.
“In recent years, there has been significant research interest in the potential role of infectious diseases in dementia development,” state the researchers in their published paper.
“Pre-existing comorbid conditions could significantly contribute to this association, as the average age of dementia diagnosis is over 80 years. Consequently, people diagnosed with dementia often have other illnesses, many of which also heighten the risk of infections.”
The research involved analyzing data from 62,555 individuals in Finland, aged 65 or older, who were diagnosed with late-onset dementia between 2017 and 2020. The study also included 312,772 control participants without dementia, matched by age and sex.
The data revealed 29 hospital-treated diseases linked to dementia risk. These included mental, behavioral, carbometabolic, and digestive diseases, but only two types were infections: UTIs and bacterial infections.
After adjusting the data for the other 27 diseases and potential factors like education and employment status, severe infections – particularly UTIs – were associated with a 19 percent increased risk of developing dementia.
The key takeaway is that preventing these infections could potentially reduce the risk of dementia later in life, alongside other risk reduction strategies.
The researchers suggest possible reasons for the link. One explanation is that inflammation caused by an infection can put the immune system into overdrive, potentially damaging the brain. However, further research is necessary to confirm this theory.
Additionally, the timing of infections might be significant. On average, the period between infections and a dementia diagnosis was five to six years, indicating that these infections might accelerate early dementia processes or trigger a critical point.
“This timeframe suggests that the inflammation from infections severe enough to require hospital treatment may hasten the preclinical stage of dementia, rather than initiating neurodegeneration in a cognitively healthy individual,” state the researchers.
Among the non-infectious diseases linked to a higher dementia risk, the researchers identified alcohol-related mental disorders, Parkinson’s disease, and brain disease. This research enhances the understanding of how dementia begins and progresses.
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This study does not establish a direct cause-and-effect relationship, meaning it doesn’t prove that severe infections requiring hospitalization directly lead to dementia. However, the strong association indicates that further research is needed.
“Our findings support the possibility that severe infections elevate dementia risk,” state the researchers.
“Intervention studies are necessary to determine whether preventing or effectively treating infections can aid in dementia prevention.”
The research is published in PLOS Medicine.
