Alternative treatments for Alzheimer's disease
Using antibiotics to treat Alzheimer's disease is new and radical approach in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease. It is based on the finding at autopsy that some people with Alzheimer's disease show traces of the common bacterium Chlamydia pneumoniae.
Dr Mark Loeb conducted a clinical trial on 101 people with Alzheimer's disease using a combination of two antibiotics, doxycylin and rifampin. The researchers found a statistically significant improvement in mental function between the group of people on placebo and those taking the antibiotic medication. The improvement was still present at 12 months but was too small a difference to be considered significant.
Side effects from antibiotic medication were minimal and included nausea, diarrhea and sleep disturbances.
Infection rates with the Clamydia bacterium showed no change.
The Alzheimer’s Association has expressed caution about new research on antibiotics and Alzheimer's disease. It is not recommended that antibiotics are used to treat Alzheimer's disease. Clearly more research is required. But the role of infection in Alzheimer's disease is an interesting one.
Article sources: Randomized Controlled Trial of Doxycycline and Rifampin for Patients with Alzheimer Disease. Mark Loeb, MD. MSc McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada and colleagues.
