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Does antiherpetic antiviral therapy reduce the risk of dementia?

Nature Reviews Neurology volume 18, pages 63–64 (2022)Cite this article

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Several studies indicate that, in individuals infected with herpes simplex virus and/or varicella zoster virus, antiviral therapy reduces the subsequent risk of Alzheimer disease and other types of dementia. As highlighted in this article, the preventative potential of antiviral therapy would probably be maximized by treating asymptomatic as well as symptomatic infected individuals.

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Acknowledgements

The author thanks the Advantage Foundation for financial support.

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  1. Institute of Population Ageing, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK

    Ruth F. Itzhaki

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  1. Ruth F. Itzhaki
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Correspondence to Ruth F. Itzhaki.

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Itzhaki, R.F. Does antiherpetic antiviral therapy reduce the risk of dementia?. Nat Rev Neurol 18, 63–64 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41582-021-00596-4

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