"Domestic Helicobacter stomach ulcers triple risk of developing dementia"
Sep 13, 2024
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Helicobacter pylori is a representative bacterium that causes peptic ulcers and lives on the mucous membranes of the stomach and duodenum. It has been reported that it can pass through the vascular brain barrier and cause neuroinflammation in the brain and affect the deposition of amyloid beta protein and tau protein, which are major pathologies of Alzheimer's disease. In addition, Helicobacter-infected peptic ulcers are known to interfere with the absorption of nutrients that play an important role in nerve cell regeneration and change the microbiome, increasing the risk of developing dementia.
Professor Kang Dong-woo (first author) of the Department of Mental Health Medicine at Catholic Medical University and Professor Lim Hyun-guk (corresponding author) of the Brain Health Center at Yeouido St. Mary's Hospital used the National Health Insurance Corporation database to evaluate the risk of developing dementia according to the eradication treatment of Helicobacter by age distribution.
As a result of the first analysis in the age range, it was confirmed that patients with peptic ulcer had an overall risk of developing dementia by about three times even after controlling dementia risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, ischemic heart disease, and hyperlipidemia at 5 and 10 years of follow-up compared to health controls. In addition, as a result of detailed analysis by age, it was confirmed that the risk of developing dementia due to Alzheimer's disease increased in the age distribution of those in their 60s and 70s.
The research team then evaluated the timing of eradication treatment and the risk of dementia, noting previous research results that Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment lowers the risk of developing gastric cancer. The early eradication treatment group, which started eradication treatment within six months after the diagnosis of gastric ulcer, and the delayed eradication treatment group, which started eradication treatment after a year, were followed for 5 and 10 years to control dementia-related risk factors and then compared the risk of developing dementia. As a result, it was confirmed that the group with delayed eradication treatment had more than twice the risk of developing dementia compared to the group with timely eradication treatment.
Helicobacter infection has no specific symptoms and is a disease that has more than 50-60% of adults in Korea. To prevent Helicobacter infection, eat foods that are healthy for the stomach, such as cabbage, broccoli, and apples, and avoid harmful habits such as tobacco, alcohol, and overeating. Helicobacter eradication treatment mainly takes antibiotics and gastric acid inhibitors. After treatment, it is necessary to check whether the bacteria have been completely removed, and it can recur, so constant management is required.
Professor Kang Dong-woo "This is an early study exploring the effects of peptic ulcer disease and Helicobacter pylori eradication treatment on dementia risk, suggesting the association of Helicobacter pylori infection with the etiology of neurodegenerative disease, and follow-up studies are needed"
Professor Kang then advised "As Korea's traditional eating habits, which enjoy fermented food or spicy taste, stimulate the gastric mucosa to increase Helicobacter bacteria infection, and with recent advances in diagnostic technology, early diagnosis and rapid treatment are needed for brain health as well as intestinal health."
Professor Hyun-guk Lim explained, "Given the complex interaction between gastrointestinal diseases and neurodegenerative diseases, more studies are needed on how infectious gastrointestinal diseases contribute to the development of dementia."This study is the first step in identifying this association, and understanding the interaction between gastrointestinal health and neurological health will provide a new direction for dementia prevention and treatment strategies."
The results of this study, which was carried out through the Korea Creative Challenge Research Project and the Korea Research Foundation's Creative Challenge Research Project, were published in the recent issue of the official journal of the American Aging Association.
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