Posted on 09/15/2022 9:52:12 AM PDT by ConservativeMind
Older people who were infected with COVID-19 show a substantially higher risk—as much as 50% to 80% higher than a control group—of developing Alzheimer's disease within a year, according to a study of more than 6 million patients 65 and older.
Researchers report that people 65 and older who contracted COVID-19 were more prone to developing Alzheimer's disease in the year following their COVID diagnosis. And the highest risk was observed in women at least 85 years old.
The findings showed that the risk for developing Alzheimer's disease in older people nearly doubled (0.35% to 0.68%) over a one-year period following infection with COVID. The researchers say it is unclear whether COVID-19 triggers new development of Alzheimer's disease or accelerates its emergence.
"The factors that play into the development of Alzheimer's disease have been poorly understood, but two pieces considered important are prior infections, especially viral infections, and inflammation," said Pamela Davis.
"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."
Previous COVID-related studies led by CWRU have found that people with dementia are twice as likely to contract COVID; those with substance abuse disorder orders are more likely to contract COVID; and that 5% of people who took Paxlovid for treatment of COVID symptoms experienced rebound infections within a month.
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
Fish oil is also your friend, inflammationwise.
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