Sept. 17 (UPI) — Scientists have found a link between COVID-19 and a higher risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease in people over 65, according to new research at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine.
“People with COVID-19 were at significantly increased risk for new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease within 360 days after the initial COVID-19 diagnosis,” the study’s authors disclosed this week in the “Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease.”
They found the risk of developing Alzheimer’s — the most common type of dementia — was especially high in those over the age of 85 and in women who had contracted COVID-19.
At this point, it is unclear if COVID-19 triggers new-onset Alzheimer’s or simply accelerates its emergence.
Researchers used the Kaplan-Meier analysis to estimate the probability of new Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
“Since infection with SARS-CoV2 has been associated with central nervous system abnormalities including inflammation, we wanted to test whether, even in the short term, COVID could lead to increased diagnoses,” study co-author Pamela Davis told the Case Western website.
The results paint a troubling picture, she said.
“If this increase in new diagnoses of Alzheimer’s disease is sustained, the wave of patients with a disease currently without a cure will be substantial, and could further strain our long-term care resources,” Davis said.
“Alzheimer’s disease is a serious and challenging disease, and we thought we had turned some of the tide on it by reducing general risk factors such as hypertension, heart disease, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle. Now, so many people in the U.S. have had COVID and the long-term consequences of COVID are still emerging. It is important to continue to monitor the impact of this disease on future disability.”
