Immunoglobulin protects against Alzheimer's disease

Elvira Koshkina, CompulentaThe drug used today to support the immune system of leukemia patients can also treat Alzheimer's disease.

This discovery was made by scientists from the Mount Sinai Medical Center (USA).

Experts traced the relationship between the use of intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIg) and the frequency of cases of Alzheimer's disease. It turned out that IVIg, which has been used for the treatment of severe diseases for twenty years, has an indirect effect on the development of dementia, preventing the formation of beta-amyloid plaques in the brain of patients.

The researchers compared the medical records of 847 patients over the age of 65 who had at least one course of treatment with intravenous immunoglobulin, and 84,700 people of the same age group who had never received this drug. The results of the analysis showed that those treated with IVIg were 42% less likely to have Alzheimer's disease. This ailment developed in 2.8% of patients who were injected with immunoglobulin, and in 4.8% of those who had never been treated with this remedy.

Scientists cannot yet explain exactly how IVIg protects against Alzheimer's disease. Probably, the drug stimulates the immune system to produce antibodies to beta-amyloid protein, which slows down or even prevents the formation of amyloid plaques.

Prepared based on the materials of HealthDay News.

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