Paging Robert Koch

Common infections may increase risk for memory decline

Researchers found an index of antibody levels caused by exposure to Chlamydia pneumoniae, Helicobacter pylori, cytomegalovirus, and herpes simplex viruses 1 and 2 was associated with worse cognitive performance, including memory, speed of mental processing, abstract thinking, planning and reasoning ability.

Common infections linked to stroke in children

In the VIPS study, researchers found that common infections within the past week were linked to more than six times the risk of stroke, Hills said. Seventeen percent of the stroke patients vs. 3 percent of the non-stroke patients were reported to have had any minor infection in the prior week. The most frequent types of infection were colds and other upper respiratory infections (8 percent of the stroke and 2.4 percent of the non-stroke patients reported an occurrence of these kinds of infections in the prior week).