Overview
- The peer-reviewed analysis, published Tuesday in PLOS Medicine, used nationwide Finnish registries to compare 62,555 people with late-onset dementia to 312,772 matched controls.
- Researchers identified 29 hospital-treated diseases linked to higher dementia risk, with two infection categories standing out: urinary tract infections and bacterial infections of an unspecified site.
- These infections typically occurred about five to six years before dementia diagnosis, and coexisting non-infectious diseases explained only about 11% to 14% of the infection–dementia link.
- The association was stronger for early-onset dementia diagnosed before age 65, where additional infections such as pneumonia and dental caries were also tied to elevated risk.
- The study lacked baseline cognitive tests and treatment details and cannot prove causation, and the authors call for trials to test whether preventing or promptly treating infections can delay or reduce dementia.