SynthesisScientific reports2019
Human herpesvirus infections and dementia or mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in Scientific reports, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 80 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
80 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Herpes simplex virus 2 and dementia risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Frontiers in dementia · 2026Pooled it
- Effects of herpes zoster infection, antivirals and vaccination on risk of developing dementia: A systematic review and meta-analysis.Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics · 2025Pooled it
- Herpesviruses, antiviral treatment, and the risk of dementia - systematic review and meta-analysis.Alzheimer's research & therapy · 2025Pooled it
- Association between herpesviruses and alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis based on case-control studies.Molecular and cellular biochemistry · 2025Pooled it
- Infection and telomere length: A systematic review.PloS one · 2025Pooled it
- Association between microbiological risk factors and neurodegenerative disorders: An umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2022Pooled it
- Association of Herpes Simplex Virus Type-1 With Dementia Outcomes: Longitudinal Retrospective Cohort Study Using Real-World Electronic Health Record Data.JMIR formative research · 2026Article
- Long-term risk of dementia following encephalitis: a large-scale retrospective cohort study of electronic health records.Journal of neurology · 2026Article
- Association between herpes zoster and cognitive impairment among Chinese community-dwelling elderly: a cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2026Observational
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- Article
- CMV titer associations with cognition and the plasma proteome implicate FLT1 and neurovascular mechanisms as potential moderators.Journal of neuroinflammation · 2026Article
- Can we refute a role for infections in Alzheimer's disease pathogenesis?Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association · 2026Article
- CRHR1 Gene Copy Number Variations, Chronic Viral Infections, and Age as Correlates of Cognitive Impairment in Adults After SARS-CoV-2 Infection.Current issues in molecular biology · 2026Article
- A Short Review and Update on Epidemiology, Treatment, and Management of Herpes Zoster (Shingles) Infection.Current pharmaceutical design · 2026Review
- Impact of Oral Immunity on Neuroinflammation and Neurodegenerative Diseases.Advances in experimental medicine and biology · 2026Review
- Altered T-cell reactivity in the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.Brain : a journal of neurology · 2025Article
- What would it take to prove that a chronic infection is a causal agent in Alzheimer's disease?Trends in neurosciences · 2025Review
- Herpes Simplex Virus Neurovirulence Across the Human Lifespan.The Journal of infectious diseases · 2025Review
- Genetic Correlates of Presenile Dementia and Cognitive Decline in the Armenian Population Following COVID-19: A Case-Control Study.International journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
20 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
10 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
Interest is growing in the role of infectious agents in the pathogenesis of dementia, but current evidence is limited. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the effect of any of eight human herpesviruses on development of dementia or mild cognitive impairment (MCI). We searched the Cochrane Library, Embase, Global Health, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, clinical trials registers and grey literature sources from inception to December 2017 for observational studies with cohort, case control or self-controlled designs, or randomised controlled trials of interventions against herpesviruses. Pooled effect estimates and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were generated through random effects meta-analyses across studies with the same design, outcome, and virus type, method and site of measurement. We included 57 studies across various geographic settings. Past infection with herpesviruses, measured by IgG seropositivity, was generally not associated with dementia risk. A single cohort study rated moderate quality showed an association between varicella zoster virus reactivation (ophthalmic zoster) and incident dementia (HR 2.97; 95%CI, 1.89 to 4.66). Recent infection with, or reactivation of, herpes simplex virus type 1 or type 1/2 unspecified, cytomegalovirus and human herpes virus-6 measured by serum IgM, high titre IgG or clinical disease may be associated with dementia or MCI, though results were inconsistent across studies and overall evidence rated very low quality. Longitudinal population studies with robust repeated virus measurements taken sufficiently proximal to dementia onset are needed to establish whether, when and among whom herpesviruses affect dementia risk.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.