Herpesviruses, antiviral treatment, and the risk of dementia - systematic review and meta-analysis.

INTRODUCTION

The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to synthesize the evidence on the association between herpesviruses, antiviral treatment, and the risk of dementia. We also aimed to explore the impact of time between herpesviruses and dementia on the reported associations.

METHODS

PubMed and Web of Science were searched along with reference lists of the included studies. We included studies that looked at clinical episodes or serology (IgG/IgM) of herpes simplex virus type 1/2 (HSV1/2) and/or varicella zoster virus (VZV), antiviral treatment and incident dementia (all-cause dementia, Alzheimer's disease, and vascular dementia). Study results were pooled with random effect meta-analyses.

RESULTS

We included 32 studies. The pooled hazard ratio for all-cause dementia was 1.36 [95% CI: 1.01, 1.83] following a clinical episode of HSV1/2, and 1.12 [95% CI: 1.00, 1.25] following a clinical episode of VZV. The pooled estimate for all-cause dementia following antiviral treatment and VZV was 0.88 [95% CI: 0.81, 0.96].

CONCLUSIONS

The present review of the scientific literature generally shows little evidence of an association between herpesviruses and risk of dementia. However, the review shows evidence of an association between antiviral treatment and a decreased risk of dementia. Because of considerable heterogeneity, future investigations could advantageously target certain subgroups.