Leading scientists have warned that those who have had Covid may be at higher risk of developing dementia before they reach the age of 70.
The virus, which has infected two-thirds of the population in the UK and around the world, may increase the risk of developing dementia by up to fivefold in those who have experienced long-term symptoms, according to US experts.
Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin, a neurologist at the University of Texas Health San Antonio, who is studying this connection, said studies show that those over 57 who have experienced Covid for a long time “have the profile of someone with very early-stage Alzheimer’s.”
“It doesn’t appear that this is a reversible process in older adults,” he told the Wall Street Journal.
Dr. Erausquin is also leading a study of over 4,000 patients who had Covid when they were over 60.
Initial data suggests that up to a third of these individuals over 65, who have long-term symptoms, meet criteria for mild cognitive impairment – a precursor to dementia.
This represents a "four to fivefold increase" in prevalence compared to a group of patients of the same age without long-term Covid symptoms.
Although mild cognitive impairment does not always lead to full-blown dementia, about one in six patients who develop it are diagnosed with dementia within a year.
Dr. Erausquin's results add to a growing body of research suggesting that patients who have been exposed to the virus are at higher risk of developing Alzheimer's.
A Government report on Covid, published late last year, showed that more than half of patients reported cognitive problems such as difficulty concentrating.
Meanwhile, a study of nearly 1 million patients, published in August last year, found that two-thirds of people over 65 hospitalized due to the virus subsequently experienced cognitive decline.
Long Covid is a still poorly understood condition that causes symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty breathing and memory problems for months or even years after the initial infection.
Experts still don't know whether the pathogen causes changes that lead to dementia, or whether the virus accelerates existing problems in the brain.
Scientists also don't yet know whether the increased risk of cognitive problems observed in patients worsens over time.
Any diagnosis of dementia before the age of 65 is called early-onset dementia.
While the risk of this memory-damaging disease increases with age, the number of cases among younger patients in Britain has increased by 69 percent in a decade.
Scientists are also investigating whether mild cognitive impairment caused by Covid is treatable.
Dr. Igor Koralnik, chief of neuroinfectious diseases at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago, said about half of the 70 long-term Covid patients treated by his team showed improvements after a treatment called cognitive rehabilitation.
This includes changes that help patients cope with their condition, such as using technology to set alarms or reminders.
However, Dr. Koralnik added that a third of the patients in his recent study, published in the Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, did not show any significant change in memory measures after treatment.
What is most concerning is that for some young patients with long Covid, memory problems seem to be getting worse over time.
Juan Lewis was the deputy commander of a squadron at an air base in Germany when he was hospitalized with Covid in April 2020.
A year later, he was diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment and says he is now "extremely concerned" about the possibility of developing dementia.
“I rarely go anywhere alone,” he said. “My wife is often with me. I get distracted easily. I leave credit cards in restaurants all the time.”
It is estimated that around 2 million people in the UK had long Covid by March 2023, according to the latest official figures.
Of these, 1.3 million had experienced symptoms for more than a year.
In the US, surveys by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that about 17 percent of Americans have reported symptoms of long Covid, although some studies estimate the true rate is around 3.6 percent.
Globally, about 409 million people had the condition by the end of 2023, according to estimates published in the journal Nature Medicine in August last year.
Experts say the likelihood of developing long Covid is related to the severity of the initial infection, with around 3 to 5 percent of those hospitalized developing this condition.
Specialists recommend that those who are eligible for Covid vaccines and boosters should take advantage of the offer.
Long Covid is defined by the NHS as a condition where patients experience symptoms such as fatigue, difficulty breathing, problems with memory and concentration, heart palpitations, dizziness and pain for more than 12 weeks after the initial infection.
There is no known cure, and treatment focuses on relieving symptoms. Around 44 million Britons, or around 65 percent of the population, had had Covid at least once by February 2022, according to estimates from the Office for National Statistics. This figure is considered an underestimate, as widespread testing was not available in the early stages of the pandemic. /GazetaExpress/
edition
t7 live
