June 3 (UPI) -- Alzheimer's disease and dementia can worsen with secondary infections, even if outside the brain, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Alzheimer's & Dementia.
Scientists found brain inflammation due to infection, even if elsewhere in the body, can worsen the brain health of those suffering from dementia and Alzheimer's disease.
The study, conducted at Trinity Biomedical Sciences Institute in Dublin, inspected the neurons of mice with brains engineered to mimic the effects of degenerative brain disease.
Mice experiencing a secondary infection, even outside the brain, experienced brain cell inflammation and accelerated disease progression.
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Researchers say the findings could have broad implications -- there are 10 million new cases of dementia diagnosed each year, affecting 5% to 8% of the general population older than 60 at any given time, according to the WHO.
"[Inflammation] may contribute to the negative outcomes that follow acute illness in older patients, including episodes of delirium and the accelerated cognitive trajectory that has been observed in patients who experience delirium before or during their dementia," study co-author Colm Cunningham, an associate professor in Trinity's School of Biochemistry and Immunology, said in a press release.
The findings may affect how doctors approach patients with Alzheimer's and dementia who are battling infections, according to Cunningham.
Researchers said the diseased brain cells are dysfunctional in part because they are already inflamed -- and infections worsen inflammation, leading to more confusion and abnormal behavior.
The affected mice were observed to fall victim to an adverse response similar to "delirium," according to the study.
The medical community has long known about the degenerative effect the buildup of bad proteins has on the brain in Alzheimer's patients, but the impact inflammation has on brain health in dementia patients is getting more attention.
Previous research has also shown that inflammation plays a role in several forms of dementia, with British researchers last year calling the cycle of inflammation, brain cell death and subsequent protein buildup a "vicious cycle."
