Viral infections could promote Alzheimer’s and Parkinson's disease: Report

A recent research published in Nature Communications shows how specific chemicals on virus surfaces might increase the aggregation of harmful proteins linked with illnesses like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.

It is not a novel concept that microbial infections might cause neurological illness.

Scientists have been speculating on how an acute viral infection might lead to progressive neurological disorders years, if not decades, later since the 1950s.

While evidence for this link is increasing, the methods through which viral risks might impact the course of brain disorders remain speculative.

According to one popular theory, certain viral infections may cause aberrant immune responses that remain for years, eventually causing neurological damage linked with certain brain disorders.

This new study offers a novel explanation for the connection between viruses and brain illness.

Researchers studied how chemicals on the surface of certain viruses might promote the spread and accumulation of proteins implicated in illnesses such as Alzheimer's.

An paper published in the Journal of Parkinson's Illness urged for enhanced neurological disease surveillance in the future years.

The researchers identified a variety of ways in which COVID-19 might quickly increase the number of Parkinson's patients, as well as a rise in Parkinson's cases reported in the years after the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic.

(With inputs from agencies)