Older people who were infected with COVID-19 show a substantially higher risk - as much as 50% to 80% higher than a control group\u2014of developing Alzheimer\u2019s disease within a year, according to a study of more than 6 million patients 65 and older.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a study published in September 2022 in the Journal of Alzheimer\u2019s Diseases<\/em>,<\/a> , researchers report that people 65 and older who contracted COVID-19 were more prone to developing Alzheimer\u2019s 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\u2019s 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\u2019s disease or accelerates its emergence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe factors that play into the development of Alzheimer\u2019s disease have been poorly understood, but two pieces considered important are prior infections, especially viral infections, and inflammation,\u201d said Pamela Davis, Distinguished University Professor and The Arline H. and Curtis F. Garvin Research Professor at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine (CWRU), the study\u2019s coauthor. \u201cSince 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,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Previous COVID-related research led by CWRU have found that people with dementia are twice as likely to contract COVID<\/a> and that 5% of people who took Paxlovid for treatment of COVID symptoms experienced rebound infections within a month<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n