April 25, 2024

IN BRIEF: vasectomies, fibs, stem cells

Vasectomies: Vasectomies may increase the risk of a debilitating brain disease, primary progressive aphasia, according to an article in the journal Cognitive and Behavioral Neurology. A survey of men with the disease found that 40% had vasectomies, compared with 16% in a control group. A similar result was found for men with frontotemporal dementia, the second-leading cause of dementia after Alzheimer’s. Doctors suspect that sperm leaking into the bloodstream could trigger an allergic reaction in brain cells. The authors cautioned that their results were small and preliminary.