Make sure the seniors in your life wash their hands often to keep germs away, especially if they suffer from dementia.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Common infections like a cold or stomach bug may trigger increased memory loss in people living with Alzheimer's disease, according to new Alzheimer's research. The study, published recently in the journal Neurology, found that people infected with respiratory, gastrointestinal, or other infections—or even bumps and bruises from a fall—were more likely to have higher levels of a protein involved in the inflammation process.

THE DETAILS: Researchers looked at blood test results and cognitive abilities of 222 people (average age 83) diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. The participants' blood and cognitive abilities were tested at the start of the study and at three additional times over the next six months. Researchers interviewed caregivers to find out whether the patients experienced any infections or accidental injury over that time. The 110 people who came down with a bug or suffered a fall during the period suffered memory loss at twice the rate of those who were infection or fall free during the study. People who had high levels of the protein in their blood at the beginning of the study suffered memory loss at four times the rate of those with low levels of the protein at the beginning of the study.

Participants who registered high levels of the protein at the start of the study and suffered an acute infection suffered memory loss at 10 times the rate of those with low levels at the start and no infections throughout the study. "One might guess that people with a more rapid rate of cognitive decline are more susceptible to infections or injury, but we found no evidence to suggest that people with more severe dementia were more likely to have infections or injuries at the beginning of the study," says study author Clive Holmes, professor of biological psychiatry at the University of Southampton's School of Medicine in the UK. "More research needs to be done to understand the role of [the protein] in the brain, but it's possible that finding a way to reduce those levels could be beneficial for people with Alzheimer's disease."