Could Blood Transfusion Increase the Risk of Alzheimer’s Disease? A Narrative Review

TL;DR

This paper reviews whether blood transfusions might increase the risk of Alzheimer’s disease by examining factors like amyloid-β, inflammation, and viral transmission.

Contribution

The paper systematically reviews recent evidence linking blood transfusion to Alzheimer’s disease risk and suggests future research directions.

Findings

Amyloid-β and tau may be transmitted through blood transfusion, potentially contributing to Alzheimer’s.

Repeated transfusions may lead to iron overload and chronic inflammation, both linked to Alzheimer’s progression.

Herpesvirus, which can accelerate Alzheimer’s, may also be transmitted via blood transfusion.

Abstract

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the most common progressive neurodegenerative disease, and its pathogenesis is complex. In addition to amyloid-β and phosphorylated tau, inflammation and microbial infections also play a role in the development of AD. Currently, there is no effective clinical intervention to cure AD or completely halt its progression. Blood transfusion, a critical life-saving medical procedure widely employed in modern healthcare, faces growing demand due to global population aging. However, whether blood transfusion could increase the risk of AD is still not clear. Aβ and tau play major roles in the pathogenesis of AD and may possess the potential for transmission through blood transfusion. Iron overload and chronic inflammation, which can independently influence AD pathogenesis, may result from repeated transfusions. Additionally, herpesvirus, known to accelerate AD progression, can also be potentially transmitted by blood transfusion. In this study, recent advances in the associations between blood transfusion and the occurrence and development of AD were reviewed, and whether blood transfusion could increase the risk of AD was discussed. Furthermore, the related proposals for blood management and future research were advanced to provide references for the prevention and control of AD.

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