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Comment by ncmncm | Hacker News Reader

A study published in April 2021 using tens of thousands of US Veterans Administration patients over six years found that having had a recent Tdap vaccination predicted a 40% drop in dementia risk.

They duplicated the finding with a completely different population and a different health care system.

40% is a huge effect.

I got my Tdap shortly after.

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I recommend looking into the link between insulin resistance and dementia. YouTube search "Dr. Ben Bikman".

And I would recommend you read some more Derek Lowe articles on dementia and alzheimer's before going on a crusade against carbs, insulin, whatever.

How was the process to get it (I assume US) - do you need to go through a doctor, or can you get it at a drug store as a walk-in?

The latter. Tetanus shots are recommended every 10 years. The other ones come along for the ride. Just say to a pharmacist: “It’s been 10 years since my last tetanus shot.” Bingo bango.

(This is not medical advice.)

Correlation is not causation. Without a proper randomized trial, these observations aren't worth much. The sort of people that keep their Tdap vaccination up to date likely do other things that reduce their risk (or are just in a better mental state than average).

What are things they might do that reduce their risk? These people are all visiting their doctor regularly. Discovering that thing would be worth a lot, if it existed, because we don't know of anything.

Just doing things that might make them more at risk of tetanus, diphtheria, or pertussis -- hiking? -- would not account for a 40% effect.

The key point for us is, how good does your reason for getting your Tdap booster need to be? Medical researchers have other things that should attract their attention here, and work to do, but that is not our business.

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