Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40140230›Full record

SynthesisMolecular and cellular biochemistry2025

Association between herpesviruses and alzheimer's disease: a meta-analysis based on case-control studies.

Huilin Feng, Kexiao Pan, Zulfa Ismail Shabani, Hongju Wang, Wenqiang Wei

Abstract readMeta-Analysis
PubMed Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Molecular and cellular biochemistry, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

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Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Immunoglobulin allotypes andJournal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD · 2026
    Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Huilin Feng *Kaifeng Key Laboratory of Infection and Biological Safety, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Kexiao Pan *Kaifeng Key Laboratory of Infection and Biological Safety, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Zulfa Ismail ShabaniDar es Salaam University College of Education, University of Dar es Salaam, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Hongju WangKaifeng Key Laboratory of Infection and Biological Safety, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China.
Wenqiang WeiKaifeng Key Laboratory of Infection and Biological Safety, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Henan University, Kaifeng, China. weiwq168@163.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Herpesviruses infection has been found to be implicated in the etiology of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the results remain controversial. This systematic meta-analysis was aimed to evaluate the relationship between Herpesviruses infection and the risk of developing AD. Relevant literature was searched from five databases, including CNKI, PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library, to obtain case-control studies (published between the date of database establishment and February 2025; no language restrictions) that compared the Herpesviruses positivity in AD patients and healthy controls. Among all existing studies, there are more abundant published case-control studies on the relationship between HSV-1, HCMV and Alzheimer's disease. Therefore, we chose these two viruses to further explore their association with Alzheimer's disease. The quality of the included studies was evaluated by the NOS scale. The Review Manager 5.3 software was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) for meta-analysis. Publication bias was investigated using the funnel plots, Begg's and Egger's publication bias plots. Twenty-one eligible studies were included to investigate the association between HSV-1 and AD. The results of the meta-analysis indicated that HSV-1 infection is a risk factor for AD (OR = 1.39, 95% CI = (1.14-1.69), P < 0.05)). In the subgroup analysis, the pooled ORs of HSV-1 infection associated with AD were 1.28 (95% CI: 0.74-2.22) in literature prior to 2010;1.44 (95% CI: 1.14-1.82) in literature after 2010; 1.27(95% CI: 1.01-1.60) in studies from Europe; 1.22(95% CI: 0.66-2.27) in studies from North America;1.89 (95% CI: 1.19-3.02) in studies from Asia; 1.38 (95% CI: 1.10-1.74) in the clinical diagnosis group; 1.52 (95% CI: 0.84-2.74) in the autopsy group. The pooled OR of APOE4 positivity and AD risk was 5.51 (95% CI: 4.33-7.01). The association between HCMV and AD was analyzed in seven studies. The pooled result showed that HCMV infection is not a risk factor for AD (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.63-1.09). Our latest meta-analysis suggests that HSV-1 infection is a risk factor for the risk of AD. Therefore, anti-HSV-1 infection can serve as a potential therapeutic strategy for control of AD incidence. There is insufficient evidence to support association between HCMV and AD.

Indexed as

Alzheimer DiseaseCytomegalovirusHerpes SimplexHerpesviridae InfectionsHerpesvirus 1, HumanCase-Control StudiesHerpesviridaeHumansRisk FactorsAlzheimer’s diseaseHCMVHSV-1Meta-analysis

Identifiers

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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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 Socratic graph.