A new study prepared by researchers at UT Health Houston showed that people who received at least one dose of the influenza vaccine were 40% less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease than their unvaccinated peers over a period of four years.
The study, led by Dr. Rick McCord, professor of neurology at the University of Houston College of Medicine, compared the risk of Alzheimer’s disease with patients who had previously received a flu vaccination in a large sample of adults in the United States over the age of 65.
“We found that influenza vaccination in older adults reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease for several years. The strength of this protective effect increases with the number of years a person receives a yearly influenza vaccination,” the researchers said.
The researchers added: “Because there is evidence that many vaccines may protect against Alzheimer’s disease, we believe that this protective effect is not limited to the influenza vaccine… Rather, we believe that the immune system is complex, and some modifications, such as pneumonia, may activate it in such a way that Alzheimer’s disease is worse. And so other things that activate the immune system, may be a way to protect against Alzheimer’s disease.”
They added that they still have a lot to learn about how the immune system is boosted or the results of preventing this disease improve with regard to the vaccine.