Post covid Alzheimer's

Possible 69% higher risk of Alzheimer's for older COVID survivors

https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/possible-69-higher-risk-alzheimers-older-covid-survivors

Older COVID-19 survivors,

69% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease,

within 1 year of infection

Medical records of 6,245,282

65 years and older

Medical visits but no previous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease

February 2020 to May 2021

410,748 participants tested positive for COVID-19

5,834,534 did not test positive

COVID-19 survivors had a 69% higher risk of a new diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease within 1 year of infection than their uninfected peers

Hazard ratio 1.69

95% (1.53 to 1.72)

Most at risk

Ages 85 and older, HR = 1.89

Women, HR = 1.82

Association of COVID-19 with New-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease

https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad220717

Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 411-414, 2022

13th September 2022

Infectious etiology of Alzheimer’s disease, postulated for decades

So, is SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease?

Retrospective cohort study

N = 6,245,282 older adults (age ≥65 years),

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

Propensity-score matching

COVID-19 cohort = 0.68%

non-COVID-19 cohort = 0.35%

(hazard ratio or HR:1.69)

TriNetX Analytics Platform

de-identified electronic health records

Over 95 million patients

Inpatient and outpatient visits

68 health care organizations

28% of the US population

50 states, covering diverse geographic, age, race/ethnic, income, and insurance groups

Our findings call for research to understand the underlying mechanisms and for continuous surveillance of long-term impacts of COVID-19 on Alzheimer’s disease

Not clear whether COVID-19 triggers or accelerates development of Alzheimer's disease

SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with inflammation and central nervous system disorders

Prior infections, especially viral infections, and inflammation

Dr. Pamela Davis

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

Plan to continue studying the potential effects of COVID-19 on Alzheimer's,

and other neurodegenerative diseases, whether certain populations may be especially vulnerable

Assess, any drugs could be repurposed to treat COVID-19's long-term effects