> To provide causal as opposed to merely correlational evidence on this question, we take advantage of the fact that in Wales eligibility for the herpes zoster vaccine (Zostavax) for shingles prevention was determined based on an individual’s exact date of birth. Those born before September 2 1933 were ineligible and remained ineligible for life, while those born on or after September 2 1933 were eligible to receive the vaccine.
Basically, the people born around that date are about as perfect a control-vs-experimental group split you can get in a large population.
In my unsubstantiated opinion it's likely to be herpesviridae that make their way to the brain due to their affinity for nerve tissue and the fact up to 80% of Americans have HSV1. Separately 50% of Americans have cytomegalovirus, another herpes virus. And yet more have HSV6 and HSV8. It's safe to assume over 90% of Americans have some latent herpes-family virus.
It also explains why acyclovir and valacyclovir dramatically reduces the risk of developing dementia.
[1] https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55423-9
[2] https://www.infectiousdiseaseadvisor.com/news/antivirals-for...
Curious, would this be hard to verify? To a layman that sounds like something that would be easily detectable under a microscope using samples of brain.
Sounds fascinating, where could one read more about this? I don’t think I’ve come across this before.
[1] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7882534/
[2] https://alzres.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13195-021...
And here's a clinical trial that's been running since 2018, scheduled for conclusion at EOY 2024.
[3] https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT03282916
This is a very in-depth hypothesis paper that explains more.
Also mold causing mold toxin load, like e.g. ochratoxin A which causes cell death in the memory centres of the brain
[1] https://www.bda.uk.com/resource/caution-advised-with-low-his...
MCAS is particularly over diagnosed right now. The number of patients who think they have MCAS based on TikTok and Internet forums is so bad that most doctors have no choice but to assume it’s not a real diagnosis unless the patient has actually supporting test results in their file. Usually when you ask an “MCAS” patient how they were diagnosed, you get a long story about how their vague symptoms can be explained by MCAS according to something they saw on the internet.
The saddest part of the internet MCAS phenomenon is all of the people on Reddit and TikTok who have been convinced they have MCAS and can’t understand why all of the antihistamines and mast cell stabilizers and special diets aren’t fixing their problems. The fact that they probably don’t have MCAS and histamine doesn’t explain their symptoms just can be accepted after they’ve become immersed in online MCAS communities.
My own research was the only way I got clear of an illness I had after what the doctors gave me didn't work.
It's easy to feel like stupid people are falling for reddit bullshit (and if course some are), but reddit is a potentially huge sample of empirical reports. Even if their reasoning is wrong it doesn't always mean they csn't find cures. That's how we got most medicines in history anyway.
Secondly reddit etc are full of highly motivated, desperate people. You might become one yourself one day too. The saddest part is their illness, not their trying to do something about it.
This one theory that currently doesn't have a lot of hard evidence supporting it. It is a promising theory, but I don't think it is good to state it as if it is established fact.