Researchers at Imperial College London have found shockingly a link between Covid-19 and a higher risk of Alzheimer’s disease. Those with mild to moderate Covid-19, according to researchers, may undergo fast biochemical changes in their brains that finally lead to Alzheimer’s disease. In some cases the consequences were as severe as four years of age; in others, individuals confined to hospitals for severe Covid-19 showed the most symptoms.
With an eye on biomarkers in Alzheimer’s disease, especially in proteins called amyloid, the study While the body naturally secretes amyloid, aberrant beta-amyloid (Aβ) causes Alzheimer’s by building plaques in the brain. The study revealed that high levels of these disease-enhancing biomarkers correlated Covid-19 infection.
First author of the study, Dr. Eugene Duff, claims that inflammation brought on by a virus may be the source of changes in the brain. “Our work could reveal how Covid-19 might cause brain alterations that would lead to neurodegenerative illnesses. We believe it could be a result of the inflammatory response the body mounts against the virus.” said Dr. Eugene Duff.
The researchers came to the conclusion that although they cannot establish Covid-19 as the cause of Alzheimer’s, the virus can definitely predispose individuals to the condition, particularly in cases of genetic or lifestyle inclination already present in some people. This is consistent with earlier studies showing infections increase individuals’s risk of neurological diseases.
Using the UK Biobank, the researchers screened biomarkers in 1,252 individuals ranging in age from 46 to 80. Comparing matched blood samples taken before and after proven SARS-CoV-2 infections to those taken from people who never tested positive for the virus, the researchers found With significant alterations in blood proteins linked with brain amyloid pathology among the infected individuals, that was claimed to be in the spectrum of a well-established genetic risk factor for Alzheimer’s disease.
This study adds to the mounting data on long-term consequences Covid-19 may cause on the central nervous system. This helps also to keep raising awareness of continuous research on the post-infection health hazards. With millions of infected people worldwide, doctors advise keeping an eye on survivors’ cognitive function and more investigation on the possible hazards such an effect would cause.
