Grossman’s medical school scientists at New York University found high levels of proteins in the blood in the blood of COVID-19, which increase in neurological damage. This is reported by Studyfinds Edition.
251 people hospitalized with COVID-19 took part in the study during the first few months of the pandemic in 2020. The average age of the participants amounted to 71 years, but they had good health, did not suffer from dementia or reduce cognitive functions. Scientists have divided the participants into two groups: with neurological symptoms and without. Their indicators were compared with control groups, including 54 healthy human, 54 people with a slight decrease in cognitive functions and 53 – with Alzheimer’s disease.
by the level of three blood markers – ubiquitinkarboxycontic hydrolase L1 (Uchl1), total tau protein and phosphorylated TAU-181 (PTAU181) – can be measured by the death and destruction of brain neurons. Other markers are the levels of light chain of neurofilaments (damage to the axons of the brain), levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein GFAP (damage to glial cells) and beta-amyloids. During the COVID-19 infection, the brain damage markers were noticeably higher than in Alzheimer’s patients. The main sign of neurological lesion was the state of toxic-metabolic encephalopathy, the symptoms of which vary from the confidence of consciousness to the coma due to the toxins, which are by-product of the immune system reaction.
Neurofilament light chain markers were 179 percent higher among patients with coronavirus in the short term than people with Alzheimer’s disease. GFAP levels were also 65 percent higher among patients with COVID-19 compared to dementia patients. According to the authors, this indicates that people with damage to the brain due to coronavirus the risk of dementia increases.