The causes of Alzheimer’s are still largely unknown. There are probably many, which interact with each other to determine the risk of developing the disorder. And at least one of these could also have to do with an extremely common virus. Or rather two: herpes simplex (HSV-1), the causative agent of cold sores that in recent years had begun to be suspected could play a role in the onset of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and its close relative varicella zoster virus (VZV), which causes chickenpox and Saint Anthony’s fire, and which seems to be able to activate the replication of the former in brain tissues, starting the processes of neurodegeneration.
Alzheimer’s, chicken pox, and shingles can trigger the disease
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