CATCHING Covid could put you at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome, scientists warn.
Two separate studies found both conditions were more common in those who had contracted the virus at least once.
Basak Gurbuz DermanScientists have linked Covid to Alzheimer’s disease and Guillain-Barré syndrome, scientists say[/caption]
Researchers in the US connected Covid-19 to issues like brain fog, headaches and lapses in concentration.
They said the impact of these symptoms is driving neurodegeneration, which contributes to the development of Alzheimer’s – the most common form of dementia.
One of the biggest factors for both the onset of dementia and getting Covid was old age – but both work together to damage the brain, the authors added.
Thomas Lane, from the University of California-Irvine, said: “I believe over the next several years, emerging evidence will further support a link between microbial infection and neurodegenerative diseases.”
The findings were published in the Journal of Neurochemistry.
The second study looked at the potential link between Covid infection and Guillain-Barré syndrome – a rare condition in which a person’s immune system attacks the peripheral nerve.
It mainly affects the feet, hands and limbs, causing numbness, weakness and pain, the NHS says.
In severe cases, sufferers have difficulty moving, walking, breathing and swallowing, and it can result in paralysis.
Scientists in Minneapolis, Minnesota, looked at data from more than three million people in Israel with no previous diagnosis of Guillain-Barré between January 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022.
During that time, 76 people developed it. Each of them was matched to 10 people who did not have the syndrome.
The team investigated whether participants had a Covid infection or vaccine during the six weeks before being diagnosed.
They determined that those with a recent infection were six times more likely to develop Guillain-Barré than those without.
A total of 12 per cent of the people with the disorder had a recent Covid infection, compared to two per cent of those who did not.
In addition, people who had received a recent mRNA vaccine, such as Pfizer-BioNTech, were 50 per cent less likely to develop the condition in the next six weeks.
Eleven per cent of those with Guillain-Barré had recently been jabbed, compared to 18 per cent of participants who hadn’t.
Author Anat Arbel, director of Lady Davis Carmel Medical Center in Haifa, said: “While Guillain-Barré is extremely rare, people should be aware that having a Covid infection can increase their risk of developing the disorder and receiving an mRNA vaccine can decrease their risk.
“These findings further highlight the benefits of ongoing vaccination programs with mRNA-based vaccines, and have important clinical and public health implications.”
The study, published in Neurology, does not prove that Covid causes Guillain-Barré.
Around 900,000 people live with dementia in Britain, and experts predict the numbers will exceed one million by the end of the decade.
Alzheimer’s is the most common form of the condition, and is thought to be caused by build-ups of proteins in the brain, including tau and amyloid.
Guillain-Barré impacts about two in every 100,000 people in the UK.
Most people make a full recovery, but around one in five are left with long-term problems, such as being unable to walk without assistance, weakness in the arms, legs or face, balance issues, and extreme tiredness.
Overall, an estimated one in 20 die, according to the NHS.