Major surgery may speed up Alzheimer's disease, research claims

Major surgery can accelerate the progression of Alzheimer's disease, the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease reported referring to a new study.

The study authors examined the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid amyloid-beta levels and surgery. They performed cognitive tests on healthy people aged over 65 before orthopedic surgery. Cerebrospinal fluid samples for determination of amyloid-beta level were obtained under anesthesia. The tests were repeated after nine months.

The researchers found that half of the patients had cognitive decline compared to their preoperative condition, and those with altered amyloid-beta levels showed a pattern consistent with the onset of Alzheimer's, in which memory issues predominated.