4 Common Infections That Can Hurt Memory
When you think about coming down with an infectious disease, symptoms like fever, fatigue, muscle aches and loss of appetite probably come to mind. Rarely would most people assume that an infection could lead to a loss of memory, but it’s actually already been shown that severe infections can lead to cognitive impairment in the elderly. Infections can even trigger a decline in people with brain conditions like dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. Surprising new research adds even more support for the link between infections and memory, with results showing that exposure to many common infections may increase your risk for memory decline — even if the infections were so mild you were never sick. The study, presented at the American Stroke Association’s International Stroke Conference 2014, found that people who had measurable antibody levels for several common infections (which is evidence of past exposure) performed worse on tests of cognitive performance. Memory, mental processing, abstract thinking, planning and reasoning were all affected. Examples of common infections linked to memory decline were: