Dementia Risk Heightened By COVID

Researchers say it’s probable but might be too early to tell if COVID-19 can increase the risk of getting dementia. A global study is analyzing 40,000 COVID-19 patients to answer one of the most mysterious consequences of COVID-19 impact on the brain. “It’s too early to tell if it makes dementia worse,” says neurologist Melissa Carran, MD, a neurologist at Cooper Health in New Jersey. “There is some persistent memory loss in long-haul COVID (like having no taste or smell for 6 months). Those with Alzheimer’s were more likely to be sicker.”  This study is being funded by the Alzheimer’s Association focused on researching patients 50 and over. The first results are expected in early 2022.  80% of hospitalized COVID-19 patients have neurological systems, a different study conducted by the Northwestern Medicine health system found. Long-haul COVID-19 patients have reported months of memory loss, trouble focusing, and loss of taste and smell. These symptoms are very similar to dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. This first of its kind study in the U.S. examines the severity of neurologic manifestations in roughly 500 patients and found that the most frequent neurological symptoms were muscle pain (45%), headaches (38%) and encephalopathy (31%), which is a form of brain damage. On top of the scary consequences of contracting COVID, a third study found that people with dementia were twice as likely to get COVID-19 compared with people without dementia because research suggests that memory problems associated with dementia make it difficult for patients to stick to safety measures such as wearing masks or social distancing, according to the National Institute on Aging.