Seasonal flu can increase the risk of developing Parkinson’s disease

In most cases, to determine the cause of Parkinson’s disease can not, therefore, researchers continue to discuss and explore possible factors that may contribute to the development of the disease. The study, published in the journal npj Parkinsons Disease, show that the strain of influenza virus predisposes to the development of pathologies similar to those observed in Parkinson’s disease.

This study provided more evidence that environmental factors, including influenza, can cause Parkinson’s disease.

Study demonstrates that mice, which recover completely from the flu virus H1N1, responsible for the previous pandemic of swine flu, become more susceptible to chemical toxins that are known to cause Parkinson’s disease.

Previously, Dr. Sman and his colleague Dr. Stacey Schultz-cherry Department of infectious diseases Children’s research hospital St. Jude in Memphis, found that the deadly flu strain H5N1so-called bird flu, accompanied by high mortality (60 per cent of those infected died from the disease), was capable of infecting nerve cells into the brain and cause inflammation, which subsequently led to the symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Inflammation in the brain, which is unable to eliminate properly, also associated with this disease.

Associated symptoms:

Dizziness Muscle stiffnessTremorConstipationArthritisDepressionParalysis

Based on this work, in a new study, scientists have studied less-lethal strain H1N1 (swine flu), which does not infect neurons, but as scientists say, still causes inflammation in the brain with inflammatory chemicals, or cytokines, released by immune cells involved in fighting infection.

Using a model of Parkinson’s disease, in which toksin MPTP causes symptoms in humans and mice, Dr. Smain showed that mice infected with H1N1, even long after the infection had more pronounced Parkinson’s symptoms than those who were not infected with the flu. It is important to note that after the mice were given antiviral drugs such as Tamifluand were vaccinated against H1N1, increased sensitivity to MPTP was gone.

The H1N1 virus belongs to the family of influenza type A, the impact of which we are subjected every year. Despite the fact that new research has yet to reproduce on humans, scientists believe that it gives good reason to explore a simple and potentially powerful effect, which may cause seasonal influenza vaccination on long-term brain health.