Coronavirus: Dementia and Alzheimer's

I recently wrote a COVID-19 blog post about a study affiliated with the University of Oxford that mentioned that "the loss of grey matter in memory-related regions of the brain may in turn increase the risk of these patients of developing dementia in the longer term." USA Today (Jul29) has an article that looks into this, as well. Though the title of the article mentions dementia, the content is more focused on Alzheimer's.

Researchers are concerned about the possibility that lingering brain symptoms might lead to dementia years or decades later.

. . . Dr. George Vavougios, the lead author of one of the new studies, said he's concerned about the frequency of these brain problems. About half of participants in his study and others are showing cognitive problems after infection, regardless of their age.

He's not sure if the infection could seed future Alzheimer's disease or if the people who are genetically more likely to develop brain problems after COVID-19 are also genetically likely to develop Alzheimer's – or if there won't be any long-lasting effects at all.

My interpretation from how the article is written is that this is all speculation -- especially that last sentence of the above snippet. He's hedging there with three different potential outcomes. I know there has been a lot of controversy surrounding Biogen's Alzhemier's drug, Aduhelm, but let's hope it really is a drug that helps with Alzheimer's. Not just because it might help those currently suffering through the disease, but because there is a potential that many more people will be suffering from dementia and Alzhemier's in the coming decades across the globe.

I will also be interested in studies that come out regarding people who get COVID-19 after being fully vaccinated and if results are found in those individuals.