New global study investigating brain effects of Covid-19

Liz Seagart, Next Avenue Contributor

Researchers have begun a global effort to investigate the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the brain. Under the guidance of the World Health Organization, scientific leaders in more than 25 countries in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America are investigating coronavirus-induced neurological complications.

According to the Alzheimer’s Association, many questions remain about the ability of the virus to cross the blood-brain barrier, the immune response of the brain, and whether it has a lasting effect on brain, cognition, and function.

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“The epidemic is six to seven months old and we are still unable to identify long-term fallout,” said Dr. Gabriel de Erausquin of the Institute for Glenn Biggs Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Texas San Antonio. Stated. Professor of Neurology. “I would like to stand in front of this to minimize the impact, predict who is most at risk, and identify behaviors and other factors that can help mitigate the impact of older patients.” .”

This study recruits adults of all ages with confirmed cases of Covid-19 discharged from the hospital. It is evaluated every 6, 9, and 18 months. Researchers consider issues such as behavioral factors that affect socioeconomic conditions and disease risk, and modifiers that can affect the course of the disease. Most importantly, de Erausquin says he will look for signs of ongoing or new brain-related problems, such as seizures, strokes, or loss of brain function.

(Read all Next Avenue Covid-19 coverage It is intended to inform the older generation and keep them safe. )

He expects preliminary analysis from cases in New York and Seattle to be available by the end of the year.

Other participants in existing international studies, or those who are part of national health registries in countries such as Denmark, Sweden and the Netherlands, assume that funding is feasible and Covid-19 Will be evaluated for additional indicators of potential brain effects and biomarkers, de Erausquin describes a comprehensive analysis.

Coronavirus symptoms may differ in older people

He pointed out that Covid-19 often appears differently in the elderly, with symptoms such as confusion, sudden loss of smell and taste, or behavioral changes such as flaking and uplifting. There may be no fever.

Previous studies have shown that odor and taste loss tend to be associated with degenerative brain disorders such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, but tend to occur gradually over time. Coronaviruses also affect the smell and taste, especially in the elderly. However, the symptoms appear more quickly.

“So, not only do we take it seriously and consider it as a nasal congestion-like transit condition, but there are multiple reasons,” de Erausquin said. “It’s a warning sign that the brain has been invaded by a virus.” Sensory loss also occurs in younger patients, but it is more severe in older people because of poor reserves.

Current Brain Research on Pause

Although new research on brain-induced changes in the brain is in the works, many years ago, existing research on the brain, especially drugs that could help prevent, delay, or treat Alzheimer’s disease It may have returned, says Dr. Gregory Ziccha. Director of the Neurology and Alzheimer’s Disease Clinic at the Sanders Brown Institute for Aging, University of Kentucky.

The key to drug testing is the participant. And Covid-19 can direct most of the anger to the elderly, helping to enroll and maintain this population for critical brain health and drug research, as in the Next Avenue article. It’s getting harder.How Alzheimer’s clinical trials became victims of Covid-19,I explained.

Many clinical trials have been severely disrupted, according to Jicha. The potential for treatment interruptions affects the drugs currently under study and the likelihood of new drug approval. “It’s something we can’t easily buy for a disease like Alzheimer’s,” said Zicha.

There may also be problems in interpreting negative test results. Example: Is the drug simply not working, or is the result distorted by protocol interference?

Jicha does everything he can to ensure the safety of clinic participants, including social distances, plexiglass barriers, staff and visitor temperature checks, and ongoing Covid-19 testing. I said.

“If there’s no such genuine trust in safety measures, we’re not going to see people come to the center, even if they’re testing potentially beneficial Alzheimer’s drugs,” Zicha said. It was The number of people who are admitted to the hospital right now is starting to drop from about 100% with clinical symptoms of Alzheimer’s to about 85%. ”

Covid-19 is now a bigger threat than Alzheimer’s disease.

“Every year we see millions of people dying of Alzheimer’s disease, and that’s just something we can’t make happen.”

However, continued research on Alzheimer’s and other dementias remains important, Jicha explained. While neglecting the effects of Covid-19, he pointed out that the virus kills about 4% of infected people. However, 100% of people with Alzheimer’s disease — about 6 million in the United States and about 50 million worldwide — die from the disease.

The ongoing uncertainty about coronaviruses has resulted in delays in some of the clinical trials scheduled to begin. One big challenge is recruitment. According to Zicha, it is difficult to get enough older people to participate in the usual long-term trials, and that effort is now more complicated.

About half of the seniors currently recruited for future trials are refusing. “This will add more bottlenecks to advancing clinical drug testing and drug pipelines,” said Jicha.

He is worried that delays in trials will create lasting repulsion between older and ethnic groups-both at high risk of complications from Covid-19.

“We are not going to move anything forward. We are not going to get new medicines. We are going to see millions of people die each year from Alzheimer’s disease, which is just what we can do. You can’t do that,” said Zicha.

On the other hand, family caregivers should be aware of the signs of Covid-19 infection in their elderly loved ones, as well as the progression of chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and dementia.

“Don’t sit waiting for symptoms like fever and flu. You might wait forever,” says Zicha. “And don’t be afraid to catch Covid and seek medical help for other issues.”

Still, despite the warning signs of a heart attack or stroke, many claim to be at home. Some people die before going to the hospital.

Jicha’s Advice to Caregivers: Don’t Wait for Crisis Be proactive and understand what your loved ones are doing, especially those with dementia, and pay attention to sudden changes in behavior and body.