scientists have found that COVID-19 can contribute to changes in the brain of older people, similar to what is observed in the case of Alzheimer’s disease – the incurable form of dementia leading to death. The results of the study reported in a press release on MedicalXpress may indicate an increased risk of a neurodegenerative disease in those who have understood a coronavirus infection regardless of the severity of the disease.
Experts analyzed the state of the elderly in Argentina and identified changes in memory and thinking related to Alzheimer’s disease, for at least six months after the disease with coronavirus. Other researchers discovered proteins related to dementia, in the blood of New York residents, from which COVID-19 at an early stage caused neurological symptoms.
During the period from three to six months after the coronavirus infection, about 20 percent of older people from 300 people studied had problems with short-term memory. 34 percent had more serious violations, including problems with the search for words and difficulties with long-term memory. Those who have undergone the greatest risk, there were problems with the smell. The olfactory brain area is directly related to the areas critical for memory, and the loss of the ability to feel smells is sometimes an early sign of degenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease or Parkinson.
Another group of scientists tested more than 300 older people hospitalized due to COVID-19. About half of them experienced neurological symptoms, such as the confusion confusion. Specialists discovered the leap of proteins in their blood, which is associated with inflammation of the nervous system, damage to the cells of the brain characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease.