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Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

uth.edu

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Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#101

Post by ncmncm »

eganist wrote: post #17

The correlation is probably loosely causative based on other research pointing to certain infections preceding a descent into Alzheimer's or Dementia. Related (not exhaustive. The infectious theory is rapidly gaining ground especially in light of anti-beta-amyloid drugs repeatedly failing in clinical trials): * HSV/Alzheimer's: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8234998/ * HSV/Alzheimer's: https://content.i…

And not just flu, HSV and gingivitis.

Tdap vaccination is also apparently protective. So, probably too chicken pox vaccination, shingles vaccination, and periodic valacyclovir dosage. Maybe even HPV.

You don't need very good reasons to keep up on your vaccinations.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#102

Post by ncmncm »

Fomite wrote: post #82
dangom wrote: post #4

That's an incredible effect size. Mechanisms hypothesized to be at play: "These mechanisms—and those underlying the effects of adulthood vaccinations on all-cause dementia risk in general—can be grouped into at least three broad, non-exclusive categories: 1) influenza-specific mechanisms, including mitigation of damage secondary to influenza infection and/or epitopic similarity between influenza proteins and AD patho…

Whether or not that's an incredible effect size sort of depends. For infectious disease epidemiology, which regularly sees extremely strong effects because of the very short causal chain between an infection and an outcome, it's not all that extraordinary.

It is an effect size that commands legitimate and substantial attention.

It indicts everyone still huddled around the amyloid lamppost.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#103

Post by ncmncm »

wonderwonder wrote: post #5

Never gotten the flu vaccine before. Biggest fear in life is alzheimers. Guess I will get the flu vaccine annually going forward.

And Tdap, chicken pox, and shingles.

It is not known whether spacing them out is better, for this specific purpose, or all at once. It is easy to invent plausible arguments for each. Only the data can choose.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#104

Post by ncmncm »

wincy wrote: post #13
wonderwonder wrote: post #5

Never gotten the flu vaccine before. Biggest fear in life is alzheimers. Guess I will get the flu vaccine annually going forward.

The also allude to “other vaccines” in this article. Googled it and they mean the pneumococcal vaccines also gave a protective effect. So maybe get those. If you just tell your doctor you’re an alcoholic they’ll give it to you.

Not just those. Tdap shows a 40% effect size, too. Better get your shingles and/or chicken pox, too.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#106

Post by ncmncm »

lancebeet wrote: post #46

It's quite remarkable that an effect of this size on such a large group seems to have gone undetected for such a long time. As a layman, I would almost have expected geriatricians to have made the observation during their own practice.

The same 40% effect size was seen for Tdap vaccination.

Although, Tdap and flu vaccination are pretty strongly correlated.

It was noticed, thus prompting these studies.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#107

Post by blagie »

bumbledraven wrote: post #100
spandrew wrote: post #69

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a mischaracterization of even the words you've quoted. The team did indeed find that flu vaccines reduced the risk of Alzheimers. But he specifically doesn't say they know why the flu vaccine lowers the risk . Ie. They can't claim causation if they don't understand the underlying reason for the change. That's not how science works. In fact in the article in question he says the opposite: That the immune syste…

“The team did indeed find that suntan lotion reduced the risk of rain. But he specifically doesn't say they know why the suntan lotion lowers the risk .” - spandrew, probably

<--- Best comment ever.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#108

Post by zugi »

sudosysgen wrote: post #70
amacneil wrote: post #44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If they only intend to claim correlation, avoiding the word "linked" in the announcement would probably help with general public interpretation. I feel like in English, "linked" usually implies some sort of potential causation, not just a general relationship. For example: "boyfriend linked to murder case".

Correlations do imply a link, though. They don't imply causation, but in the absence of selection bias and with enough of a sample size, it is almost certain there is a link somewhere.

Indeed there is a link but we don't even know the direction of causation. I find it quite plausible that people with as-yet undiagnosed early-onset Alzheimer's forget to get flu shots.

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#109

Post by loeg »

ncmncm wrote: post #104
wincy wrote: post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The also allude to “other vaccines” in this article. Googled it and they mean the pneumococcal vaccines also gave a protective effect. So maybe get those. If you just tell your doctor you’re an alcoholic they’ll give it to you.

Not just those. Tdap shows a 40% effect size, too. Better get your shingles and/or chicken pox, too.

Chicken pox and shingles are the same virus. If you've had chickenpox, they won't give you that vaccine. But you should definitely get the shingles vaccine either way, if possible (CDC is still denying it to adults under 50, even though shingles affects adults under 50).

Re: Flu vaccination linked to 40% reduced risk of Alzheimer’s disease

#110

Post by ncmncm »

TylerE wrote: post #12
willcipriano wrote: post #6

People who get yearly flu vaccines probably go to the doctor more regularly than those who do not. I would expect that people who more regularly go to the doctor are also more concerned about their health. I'd expect people who are concerned with their health to behave in ways that limit disease. Without a proposed method of action, I suspect this is just noise.

Otoh, people who visit the doctor regularly are more likely to be diagnosed

That was obviously controlled-for.

A study of this size would not be conducted by idiots. HN has no such filter, though.

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