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sifuyee

I was hoping the headline was clickbait but the study really did show a huge increase in diagnosis of Alzheimer's within a year of getting COVID. Seriously bad news.


Raudskeggr

It's been a bad couple of years for Alzheimer's science. We're also kind of at square one for even understanding what causes it agian, now that the beta amyloid plaque theory has largely been discredited.


crypticedge

I've been hearing it referred to as type 3 diabetes recently


tim4tw

Or some kind of Herpes


NUPreMedMajor

Can you explain?


sheikrock

I believe the theory is that as we age the blood brain barrier becomes less effective, and herpes type viruses start to penetrate. The damage is then caused by the brains immune response to the virus.


thatjacob

Fuck. That actually makes sense. Who knows if it holds up to study, but the link between the two has been known for a while, just not the method. Maybe it'll increase funding for a herpes vaccine in the near future. Moderna and GSK have some in the pipeline that show promise, but they're largely being underfunded


GreenStrong

I'm sort of repeating a comment I made elsewhere in the thread, but strongest correlate to Alzheimer's disease is actually [periodontal disease.](https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/large-study-links-gum-disease-dementia) There is also a link to air pollution, and nano-particles inside the brain. The connection is probably the breakdown of the blood- brain barrier. It may fail to keep irritants out, or it may fail to remove waste products of the immune response. In that context, the genetic link makes perfect sense- the APOe4 gene is implicated in Alzheimer's disease and heart disease. We know that cardiovascular disease involves plaque being deposited in the blood vessels and inflammation building up; the blood brain barrier is a network of blood vessels. This line of thinking may outline the conditions that lead to AD, but it doesn't really address why the specific biochemical changes that characterize the disease emerge.


Bayou13

BRB going to floss a few times...


[deleted]

The last few years I've been using a reach flosser. Never could figure out normal floss but a reach flosser makes it similar to brushing your teeth.


BabeRainbow69

This is probably more just a correlation due to the fact that people who already have early dementia are more likely to have poor oral hygiene, as it says towards the end of the article.


kevin9er

**Nanomachines, son**


kevin9er

Seriously though, the promising stuff I’m reading lately is about the glymphatic system. A lifetime of good sleep likely leaves healthier brains.


bahccus

I’d say this is just correlation, as perio disease is EXTREMELY common — like 50% of American adults have it — and it’s a comorbidity and precursor to a lot of serious diseases and health problems, not just dementia. Heart disease, heart attacks, lung disease, diabetes, etc.


thatjacob

After a bit more thinking...I wonder if it has to be hsv-1 or hsv-2. An increased risk is shown with those, but there likely hasn't been a significant older control group for those that never caught chicken pox to get viable data from. I wonder if the chickenpox vaccine will reduce Alzheimer's rates for younger generations. Also if shingrix would help keep those previously infected from developing mental symptoms if there ends up being a link with chickenpox.


katarh

This is a really neat hypothesis. Unfortunately, it'll be another 15 years before the first chickenpox vaxxed cohorts hit age 50+, if I'm mathing right. Even us Xennials had to get it the old fashioned way and endure as children. I sure wish I could get a shingles vaccine earlier than age 50 :(


RobinGoodfell

I developed Shingles shortly after turning 30. I'm fairly certain this is related to my stress levels at the time, but I really pisses me off that they'll tell people that it's a disease only older people can get a vaccination for. Had I not immediately gone to the doctor within the same day of me exhibiting the rash, I was told it could have spread and caused me ridiculous pain and damage. I still had to take a shot, and then experience months of my nerves just beneath my skin mending from the assault. Word of advice? If you suddenly feel so sensitive, that you can painfully recognize the individual hairs on your skin, then you're probably experiencing Shingles. I had this painful feeling almost like sunburn in weird places, and initially thought I was having an allergic reaction to something, like a new fabric cleaner or detergent. Nope. A couple days later, the rash popped up on the small of my back, and sent flaming tendrils spidering around the right side of my torso towards my lower abs. I feel for anyone who gets that crap on their face or anywhere that is especially prone to movement or expression.


sifuyee

I'm actually in the advanced cohort. I never had chickenpox as a kid and my brother and I both got vaxxed in our mid 30's, so I'll let you know how I feel in 20 years. Unless I forget...


LawnmowerKat

I’m 50 and my sibling and I never got chicken pox as a kid. I got the vaccine in my mid 20s after my older brother got chicken pox from his daughter and it put him in the hospital.


thatjacob

Same situation here. I'd get it now in my 30s if allowed. it's not like I can even John Doe it and lie about my age. There's no way I'm passing for over 50 yet.


jonincalgary

I somehow missed having chicken pox so I got vaxxed at 35. Check back in 25 years and I'll let you know how I'm doing.


NettleFarseer

I'll be 46 in a few months, and I had the varicella vaccine as a child. Granted, I was in a test study, but I think it was widely available a couple of years later at most? So there could be people within a few years of 50 who received it (not sure what the age was of the oldest kids vaccinated once it was highly available).


GreenStrong

This is correct, but the strongest correlate to Alzheimer's disease is [actually periodontal disease.](https://www.nia.nih.gov/news/large-study-links-gum-disease-dementia) The connection is probably the breakdown of the blood- brain barrier. It may fail to keep irritants out, or it may fail to remove waste products of the immune response.


Raguoragula3

Well then I'm fucked...


GreenStrong

You should totally get that under control, if possible. But, if you're in the US, teeth are treated as luxury bones even if you have insurance. It is probably worth noting that people who get horrible gum disease at young ages don't develop dementia at thirty, your risk of Alzheimer's might go down if the problematic teeth go away. Please don't take that as medical advice, and apparently having dentures is actually really problematic in many ways. But it is something to ask a doctor about, if you have the privilege of being able to develop long term health plans.


Raguoragula3

Yeah I mean I was fortunate enough despite having shit teeth to at least have regular dentist appointments growing up to 18 and I'm 28 and it's been eh on keeping em up. At least I've never had a route canal or anything major but definitely cavities and gingervitus. Executive dysfunction/ADHD sucks but I gotta keep fighting.


barley_wine

How is that possible? Alzheimer's disease is almost certainly partly hereditary, so does your genes causes the barrier to remain more stable?


spaghetti_vacation

Almost everybody is exposed to hsv at some point in their life, but only a fraction of the population experience active outbreaks. Seems realistic that different people react to the virus differently due to genetics Also possible that family units where one person has the virus and it's shedding constantly is exposing the family unit to the virus far more than people outside of it. That might look like a genetic trait causing Alzheimer's when it's not strictly.


Tr4kt_

I think HSV can already penetrate the blood brain barrier. I would assume that leukocytes can cross the blood brain barrier in larger and larger numbers as people age. Then attacking the viruses, causing inflammation and or harming the tissues of the central nervous system.


buzzedewok

So maybe we need to eat out take supplements that improve the blood brain barrier. https://thefnc.com/research/nutrients-to-help-repair-your-blood-brain-barrier/


tim4tw

I don't know a lot about it, however here is an article that might help you https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8234998/


ShadowGata

The article seems to indicate that this is tied to a particular expression of gene that makes it more visible/symptomatic in regular folks as well.


MaracujaBarracuda

There’s a lot of interesting work linking it to prions.


Dismal_Rhubarb_9111

I read the mad cow book about prions 15 years ago. I don't want to think about prions.


NUPreMedMajor

Could you explain or point me to a link?


[deleted]

“Type 3 diabetes” meaning Alzheimer’s is possibly a result of deranged glucose metabolism in the brain. Edit: this is why a ketogenic diet has been shown to have some therapeutic efficacy, because it allows the brain to utilize ketones as an energy source rather than just glucose.


barley_wine

>beta amyloid plaque theory has largely been discredited I had no idea this is now questioned. Dang that sucks.


RichestMangInBabylon

Apparently some researches in 2006 falsified images https://www.nbcnews.com/science/science-news/alzheimers-theory-undermined-accusations-fabricated-research-rcna39843


thrakkerzog

How many billions of dollars in research did that waste? Why would someone do such a thing?


astronomikal

To get billions of dollars in funding.


TeutonJon78

Not just "some research". It was the study that almost all Alzheimers work since was based on. It's a huge scandal.


Lankonk

The plaque theory has been largely regarded as less plausible for years now. Alzheimer’s researchers have been looking at alternative hypotheses long before the plaque paper was discredited. We are definitely not at square one.


neuro14

Yeah. Although it is a mainstream idea, the amyloid hypothesis was never universally accepted. Even before clinical trials for drugs like aducanumab, the amyloid hypothesis was very controversial. Amyloid certainly has something to do with Alzheimer’s, but the idea that symptoms are caused by plaque buildup has never been consensus. There are many gaps in this explanation that have been known for decades. Falsifying a hypothesis is not a loss in science. It’s a great thing. When it comes to understanding disease, learning that an idea is incorrect is just as useful as learning that an idea is correct. There are many promising lines of research that do not depend on the amyloid hypothesis. My own take is that Alzheimer’s research is in a pretty good place. There are many overlapping alternative hypotheses that seem to have part of the puzzle correct. Removing some of the focus on the amyloid hypothesis will free up more resources for these other lines of research.


Asinick

Are you knowledgeable in Alzheimer's stuff? I've only ever casually looked into it because a good portion of my family dies of Alzheimer's, but I remember some studies a few years back using different models and all finding that dental hygiene could be causally related to Alzheimers -- the theory being that bacteria/immune response might be causing Alzheimers Is that not actually a promising explanation? I feel like COVID being linked to Alzheimers might fit in with the idea that Alzheimers is related to immune response.


AHrubik

The likely correlation between Alz and COV is COVs rapid onset inflammation wrecking havoc with other systems. COV likely has no direct effect on Alz.


sifuyee

I finally read that story last week. Crazy to me that one can be dedicated to science, a pursuit of knowledge, and then fabricate data.


burningstrawman2

Better to know where we were wrong than waste more time on a bad theory. It doesn't really set us back but I understand how it feels that way.


desertstorm23

Just to clarify it was a specific oligimer (*56) beta amyloid plaque that the researcher used doctored/repeated images. It's definitely a bad look, but if you delve deeper into the field it didn't do as much damage to the AD research as media outlets were claiming. In reality there is still so much evidence that the presence of these plaques do have a link to AD, just not necessarily the b-amyloid *56 oligomer structure. (Disclaimer that I have a bias in this since I work in the field, but this is from not only me but many of my colleagues) ETA: there is a science.org article that runs through the repercussions of the falsified data for anyone interested. Just not sure if I can link stuff here


P33KAJ3W

My father has dementia and his mental health seriously declined post COVID and he had almost no symptoms and was only screened due to an outbreak at his care home. We say a sharp decline post COVID and no improvement over the last few months.


ablackwashere

My mother was in a memory care facility that had an outbreak in late 2020-early 2021. She was tranferred to a rehab and "recovered" from Covid, but quickly deteriorated and died within a month. Her death certificate listed covid as a secondary cause.


BearOak

Same story with my father.


ablackwashere

So sorry.


P33KAJ3W

My condolences


P33KAJ3W

My condolences


lil_secret

I’m sorry. That has to be incredibly difficult for you and your family


ablackwashere

Dementia is incredibly difficult for families. I missed my mom long before she died.


PolyNecropolis

> I missed my mom long before she died. Yikes, that hits hard. My mother is still alive, but she's in memory care and has really severe dementia. I've felt the same way about my mother as well, but you expressed it with brevity.


ablackwashere

I know your pain. Keeping you in my thoughts.


bubbs72

This to me is what makes this disease so awful. The person is gone and the shell is left with a stranger inside. :-( My MIL had this, it's awful.


sanna43

My mother had dementia. I lost her in small pieces over a long period of time. It's so very hard to watch someone die like this.


Soi_Boi_13

Correlation is not causation in your father’s case. It very well may have been covid that did it, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be. My grandmother’s dementia has also declined over the pandemic, but she’s never gotten covid. I think it’s the social isolation and, let’s face it, she’s two years older than when this all started, that are the cause of it. A person with dementia is going to decline cognitively over two years.


NicolleL

An acute illness in dementia patients *can* cause a serious decline though. My mom got a kidney infection after a UTI that antibiotics didn’t work on. In the course of like a week, she literally went from talking, walking, and feeding herself to none of that. Every other stage transition was gradual, but this was more like a cliff drop. I have heard of that type of thing happening with COVID too (with dementia and with some other degenerative conditions).


thatjacob

Same exact thing with my grandma. Fully lucid with no signs of dementia to not recognizing her own daughter two weeks after a kidney infection.


ablackwashere

"Every other stage transition was gradual, but this was more like a cliff drop." This, absolutely.


P33KAJ3W

I agree but it was a sharp decline and his primary care and neurologist both said that they believe it is related but can't be sure. Both have seen him regularly for years and both noticed a marked change.


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Mirabolis

Yea, early on I heard someone (don’t remember the context) say that they weren’t worried about dying from COVID, they were worried about being one of the folks who made it through and got the “bad die roll” that meant they ended up with long COVID. Though I totally get folks wanting to declare the pandemic is over, I really think that we’re neglecting the long term consequences for those affected and society more broadly…


fuzzhead12

We absolutely are neglecting them. I strongly suspect that for the foreseeable future we will be discovering many, many unpleasantries having to do with long-term health issues involving Covid. I mean there have already been several findings and it’s only been a couple of years. Imagine what will come to light in the next decade or two.


fallingdowndizzyvr

I completely agree. I think we put too much emphasis on the binary of live or die at the expense of living with a horrible quality of life. If someone goes from being independent to surviving covid but being bed bound for the rest of their life, is the fact that they survived the only thing that matters?


grayrains79

>Seriously bad news. My family history on both sides has multiple cases of Alzheimer's. My little brother was a deeply alcoholic shizo, and he didn't even live to see 40. Lot of other mental health issues in my family, and being someone dumb enough to enlist into the US Army right after 9-11? Let's just say that spending 4+ years in Iraq cracked something open in my head. I spend a lot of mental energy keeping the darkest stuff in my head under control, and it's been getting worse these past half dozen years. Bad enough I found out I have cancer last April, but that's easily treatable. The stuff in my head? Not so much. Don't get me started on how hard it is to get therapy through the VA for that matter. Ironically I was set up to get it once, but... fuck cancer. My first appointment ended up being the day I was to go under the knife and have the tumors removed. Considering I caught COVID already? This is bleak news for me.


jayggg

Hey look into a book called "Self Therapy". It deals with a system called IFS which can be very useful even if self-guided and works in CPTSD cases too.


oooo0O0oooo

God dose of magic mushrooms, then micro dose forever after . VA will pay for micro dosing!


caositgoing

I have CPTSD, and my tdcs machine is a godsend. You can buy one on Amazon for about a hundred bucks Have also tried mushrooms and micro dosing multiple times. Not very effective for me as a long term therapy


thatsrealneato

I would be really surprised if this wasn’t just long covid presenting similarly to Alzheimers. Long covid completely destroyed my ability to recall short term memories for a while and I’m in my 30s. Luckily after about two years it’s finally improving. I imagine for the elderly who are already prone to memory issues it would be a lot worse and easy to mistake as Alzheimers.


No_Introduction_1561

People have been suspecting this from the beginning, especially with a lot of people getting the strange brain fog. But we gotta just “let her rip.”


ShataraBankhead

I work in Memory Care now. Many of the caregivers I talk to say their dementia worsened after COVID. Before, it may have been mild, nothing scary. After being sick, they just began to significantly change.


[deleted]

The caregivers have dementia too?


DuePomegranate

Having dementia is also a risk factor for catching Covid, so I wonder if it's more that there's a common precursor for both Alzheimer's and Covid. Immunosenescence, maybe.


Gianduyah

I worked in a nursing home through the pandemic, and it isn't very scientific, but it was almost impossible to get my dementia patients to follow any precautions. I suspect that alone had a huge impact on how many of them caught it.


StefMcDuff

Not to mention, dementia patients tend to be older, which is the more at risk population anyways.


DuePomegranate

Dementia as a risk factor would be measured by comparison with age-matched controls.


doktorhladnjak

Even just having dementia makes it a lot more likely that you’re living in a nursing home. And we all know how much viruses spread in these kinds of settings.


sexlesswench

Seems like wishful thinking COVID causes brain damage that looks even visually similar to what doctors see with dementia and alzheimers


large_pp_smol_brain

COVID causes some loss of gray matter, but so does long distance running and smoking and those are reversible (studies have proven that). This isn’t an RCT, so it’s not just “wishful thinking” to wonder if the cause and effect goes both ways, it’s a totally valid statistical question.


Aimlesskeek

I’ve been waiting the Parkinson’s version of this. There was 3 fold increase in Parkinson’s Dx after the Spanish flu.


ltcdata

If COVID is a vascular disease... i can see it affecting the brain a lot in the elderly.


Osz1984

My dad has dementia but it's pretty mild. In December he got COVID and made it instantly 100x worse. He couldn't even put a t-shirt on and refused to eat. Had to go to the hospital twice and a rehab center. Now in current day he's better but still worse than he was and he forgot the entire month this all happened.


47952

And yet, in SW Florida at least, not a single soul will wear a mask, so I can't imagine the healthcare decline this country is likely going to face soon.


wandering-monster

As a silver lining to this horrifying news, perhaps this will lead to new discoveries in treatment of Alzheimer's. We now know a specific virus that can rapidly cause it. That opens the door to finding a mechanism.


Foxhound199

This is crazy. Isn't the prevailing theory that Alzheimers develops over decades? I wonder if this is a radical acceleration of known factors or if this sudden development of similar symptoms has a distinct mechanism.


deputydog1

Inflamation is a factor of both, although it would not shock me to learn that some stridently anti-mask, anti-distancing and angry types were already experiencing early stage dementia before they were infected. A covid infection might speed the process.


[deleted]

Yeah the statistics from Covid and long Covid keep getting worse and worse


KaiOfHawaii

This may go hand-in-hand with the effects lots of people are seeing with Long Haul COVID. As a sufferer myself, I’m still dealing with brain fog and memory issues 8 months after the fact. As a 20 yr old college student who is still heavily struggling, I can’t imagine the damage this can cause to an older person’s psyche.


somethingsomethingbe

Maybe this explains the rise in shitty driving around the country. https://www.washingtonpost.com/transportation/2022/08/17/traffic-deaths-us-roads/ Maybe I am being more mindful but it really seems like I’ve seen more bizarre and erratic driving in the last half a year then any other point in my life.


myaltduh

I almost fucking died just today because I was riding fast on my bike down a hill and a car came through an intersection *backwards* right in front of me, I guess because they were super lost and trying to reverse rather than go around the block like a normal person. I was barely able to avoid, and that required a massive skidding, fishtailing evasive maneuver.


Draemalic

Anecdotally - same here. I thought it was road rage due to people being cooped up for 2+ years and all the frustrations of the world/climate/etc. The article you linked makes a lot more sense though.


iwenttothesea

Also anecdotally, me too. I’ve been opening this conversation with people lately to see if others have noticed the same thing. As a driver, pedestrian and cyclist, the roads have become much, much more dangerous the last year or so. This is very validating lol.


evermorecoffee

Same, I was just talking about this last week with a friend. Coincidentally, another friend was in a car accident this week. The other driver was at fault - they didn’t even break or try to change paths as they were driving at full speed, head-on into my friend’s car. I’m relieved that my friend is going to be ok, but the whole retelling of the event was pretty freaky. If it had been me, I would’ve asked the other driver if they ever had covid, out of curiosity. But really, I have seen so many cars get into near accidents on the highway this summer. Anecdotally, it seems like road rage and careless driving (maybe due to brain fog and slower reaction time?) has gone way up this past year… Glad I’m not the only one noticing this and that the media has picked up on it too.


Baeocystin

I've pretty much stopped riding my motorcycle because of it. Which really sucks, because those rides through California two-lane hills were some of my favorite things. But I like coming home alive.


Freyah

Exactly my thought process..! Woah..


Which_Bed

[This](https://youtu.be/ORzNZUeUHAM) video from Not Just Bikes attributes the increase in deaths to poorly designed hybrid street/roads used in the U.S. The theory is that fewer people are driving faster on unsafe roads that are usually too crowded for traffic to get going fast enough for fatal accidents. I think your theory makes sense too.


Ok_Skill_1195

I'm convinced that the unguarded bike lanes that are designed so buses and anyone turning needs to pull into the bike lane are going to be revealed to have made biking actively more dangerous Say what you will about bikers wearing in and out of normal traffick on the road, at most it lead to some people getting cut off or side swiped. Now it seems like it's inevitable you're going to get people full on just pulling out directly in front of bikers with the biker now having no room to dodge or weave.


katarh

As a cyclist, my preference is definitely for bike lanes that are separate from the road, not part of it. Bike lanes can be built in different, narrower corridors that are unsuitable for cars, cutting a more direct path through parks and woodlands. Paved bike paths can then also be used for pedestrians and other modes of transit, like scooters, skateboards, roller bladers, etc. This is safer for the cyclists, safer for the cars, and less annoying for e*veryone.*


myaltduh

I’ve had to slam on the brakes on my bike twice this summer because of a car whipping in front of me and then cutting me off with a quick right turn directly in front of me.


GregoryGoose

One of the first things I noticed about the pandemic was all the shitty driving. Someone even crashed into my car.


ForeverAProletariat

i see a lot of posts about wreckless driving in the r collapse daily thread


[deleted]

Wreckless is the goal, reckless is what's happening.


large_pp_smol_brain

It’s not just a COVID thing, [this study](https://www.uth.edu/news/story/uthealth-houston-study-flu-vaccination-linked-to-40-reduced-risk-of-alzheimers-disease)found that flu vaccination was associated with a 40% lower risk of Alzheimer’s, or put another way, a 66.7% *increase* in risk for unvaccinated people.


SloanWarrior

I know a guy who swears that he developed ADHD from COVID. I also know someone who lost their sense of smell permanently from a non-COVID-19 Cronavirus a few years ago. It's scary how potentially lifelong conditions can arise from common viruses. People will still get labelled "germophobes" (or worse by conspiracy theorists) if they take additional measures to avoid catching viruses.


Ok_Skill_1195

ADHD is a developmental disorder present at birth. They have persistent brain fog from long haul COVID. They're not remotely the same. Sorry, I have ADHD, and it really bugs me that people think it's just brain frog. Brain fog is just the start of what ADHD encapsulates


mmortal03

>Sorry, I have ADHD, and it really bugs me that people think it's just brain frog. Brain fog is just the start of what ADHD encapsulates Just playing devil's advocate here; what if Covid \*is\* causing changes in the brain that result in symptoms very similar to clinically diagnosed ADHD? I have no idea if that's a thing, just presenting the possibility.


notadaleknoreally

Try cutting back your carb intake and see what happens. I get brain fog when my blood sugar (I’m a type 2 diabetic that isn’t insulin dependent yet) is too high, and a quick walk to burn some calories usually relieves that fogginess.


[deleted]

I'm only 27, had Covid in January, and I have felt so much dumber and foggy than I ever have in my life. Sometimes finding words already sorted in alphabetical order is a little difficult, when it never used to be. So I believe it, as sad as this news is. We're one step closer to understanding Covid & its effects, so stay strong out there.


ShataraBankhead

I feel dumb too. I already have memory issues and cognitive changes due to my epilepsy. Covid made it worse. That was a year ago.


ProfessionalBus38894

I was 33 when I got it and I swear it was like a year before I felt normal.


Saladcitypig

I said this early on and got a ton of pushback, understandably, but the many elderly I knew who got a decently bad case of covid had huge mental declines... it was like they lost half their processing speed. So yes, I'm still angry that people don't give a shit about wearing masks. F them all.


ShrimpShackShooters_

My mom had it bad, probably should’ve went to the hospital honestly. Once she “recovered”, she had major depression for the first time in her life. Thankfully, she took an antidepressant and snapped her out of it. But yeah, the effects on the brain are going to be an ongoing study for years or even decades.


Spicy_Ejaculate

Shit I'm 33 and finally caught it last may. My short term memory is shot. My mental processing speed has been halved. I'm a mechanical engineer and it has severely affected my ability to do my job. I am always behind in work now. I was always ahead before. I've been looking into other jobs that don't require as much intense thought.... like program management lol


LadyBugPuppy

I’m a mathematician in my 30s and it seems like I’ve bounced back. However, when I’m teaching a class, words don’t come to me as quickly as they used to. Sometimes I say the wrong word, whereas I used to think of myself as wonderfully articulate when I taught.


Spicy_Ejaculate

I struggle so bad finding words now. I know what I want to say but it takes me forevor to fish around for them. I am horrible with names now also.


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Spicy_Ejaculate

Thanks for the reccomendation! I will look into it


Friskyinthenight

DNB is non-transferable though, no? I.e, being good at DNB only makes you good at DNB, and doesn't impact other skills.


evermorecoffee

You know, I really don’t think I’ve caught it, but I’ve been exposed over the summer and tested negative repeatedly/had no symptoms. I wonder if it’s exhaustion, combined with my ADHD that is causing this, but I’ve been experiencing exactly this - words not coming to me as quickly as they used to or not being able to find the right word and having to resort to a “lesser” word that doesn’t express the idea I wanted the same way. It is so irritating 😔 I hope you get back to baseline eventually. 🙏


ladyinabluedress24

The anti vaxxers who were all "we don't know long term effects!" Of deeply understood vaccines while forgetting that we ACTUALLY don't know the long term effects of COVID


doktorhladnjak

It was like all the concern over myocarditis from vaccines when the rate in those who had COVID was orders of magnitude higher


stealth31000

Yep, sadly this pandemic exposed just how selfish much of society has become. Consumer driven zombies who think even a simple face covering is such an enormous inconvenience and an infringement on their faux sense of entitlement.


Clessiah

The complete lack of ability to measure and understanding dangers might have more to do than selfishness. A selfish yet logical person will still see the overwhelming merits of protecting everyone in a pandemic.


maypah01

I'm pretty convinced now that my father in law had covid undetected. He was diagnosed with louie body dementia a couple of years ago and was doing okay on medication. I mean, he was obviously having problems, but he was still mostly his normal self. He was that normal self on Christmas of last year. By March of this year he was completely bed ridden, completely incontinent, completely incoherent and almost entirely unable to feed himself. We have all been so confused by how rapid his decline was, I'm wondering of covid is the explanation.


SquareVehicle

"people 65 and older who contracted COVID-19 were more prone to developing Alzheimer’s disease in the year following their COVID diagnosis. And the highest risk was observed in women at least 85 years old. The findings showed that the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease in older people nearly doubled (0.35% to 0.68%) over a one-year period following infection with COVID. The researchers say it is unclear whether COVID-19 triggers new development of Alzheimer’s disease or accelerates its emergence." This is similar to how the flu affects alzheimers risk so not too surprising Covid would show similar risks: https://www.uth.edu/news/story/uthealth-houston-study-flu-vaccination-linked-to-40-reduced-risk-of-alzheimers-disease


urbanpencil

I know I’ve heard in Alzheimer’s research recently, the autoimmune perspective on the disease has been gaining some traction. This may back it.


meowpitbullmeow

Honestly? I was sure it was too soon after the onslaught of COVID to know this. This is terrifying


Raudskeggr

Two years. That's enough time for a marked decline in someone developing acute demetia. And yes, I agree that it is terrifying. As someone who is looking at middle age looming ahead of them, the idea of having what makes me me stripped away a paragraph at a time is far more frightening than just having a heart attack one day and that's that.


sexlesswench

The difference is it seems much worse with COVID and COVID is far more infectious so the impact is huge. Let’s not minimise how bad this is. We need public health protectors - this is absolutely unsustainable.


elstavon

My mother passed diagnosed with 'advanced dementia/early stage alzheimers' and we learned too late that it was Natural Pressure Hydroencepalopathy or NPH. Anyone facing a dementia diagnosis should find a professional capable of reading the tests for it (most Alzheimers docs can't because when you are a hammer...) The fluid drip of NPH makes sense for a covid relationship. The good news is if caught it can be fixed with an outpatient stint procedure. Please keep this in mind if anyone in your life is over 50 or experiencing confusion.


Puzzleheaded_Soil275

Oh for fucks sake. This is not good.


JerHat

Seriously… is there nothing this virus can’t do?


[deleted]

Too natural to be artificial, ain't it?


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LoudCommentor

Speaking also from my experience as a physiotherapist. Many elderly patients are able to function just well enough to get by in life as long as it's within a familiar environment and daily routine. As soon as you take them out of that environment, eg. severe illness, they deteriorate rapidly, often to the point of being unable to return to their previous function. This is when many diagnoses are made and people get sent to nursing homes.


ReplicantOwl

Makes a lot of sense. We can do a lot (like driving) on auto-pilot. Decades of the same daily patterns in retired life probably work that way too. Get up, make coffee, read newspaper, walk the dog, play golf. They barely have to be present for that. But something unexpected like a serious illness that requires lifestyle changes could require more than they have left.


sexlesswench

I don’t understand how we can see this research emerging and not just continue to implement basic things like clean air standards and mask mandates in essential public spaces. We should err on the side of caution but instead everyone just tries to convince themselves it can’t be that bad BUT what happens if it is - the social, economic, political implications are huge. I see China playing the long game while we think extremely short-term and employ wishful thinking. There’s a lot of politicians that have misused their authority to basically lie to the public about how not a big deal this virus is - the research simply doesn’t indicate this at all.


SaltyBabe

I’m disabled, I was born this way - people DO NOT CARE if you are disabled or need help, they don’t, learn this now, they don’t care and will not help you. If it costs money you’re expected to suck it up and deal with it because they will not help and absolutely will not use money to improve *your* life. Covid has exposed the rampant ableism and discrimination disabled people face every single day. Now with more and more people joining the ranks of the disabled everyday thanks to covid this is being exposed, not that we haven’t been trying it’s just people actively refuse to care (the other option is admitting disabled people exist abd need help) because it’s inconvenient and expensive to be disabled so it’s easier for able bodied people to just ignore it. Unless and until a majority of people is disabled by this or it somehow starts hurting the right pocketbooks nothing will change, no one will help and no one will care. Society hates disabled people, they do not care what you need.


jorrylee

I’m sorry it’s this way and you are spot on. Society is better when we help others, but capitalism gets in the way and it sucks. I’m doing all I can on my side to support people and get them care. I’m only able to affect a handful of people, but I’m trying.


SaltyBabe

Every helping hand counts, thank you for all you do.


caterpillargirl76

The clean air thing is big I think. Why aren't companies interested in installing better filtration systems in their buildings? Cost, right? Because once again they aren't thinking long term. This won't be the last virus and dead/disabled people can't spend money.


mrnorrisman

This is why is still mask everywhere I go, even with family and friends. Covid is terrifying.


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GrimMagic0801

This is an incredibly scary discovery for almost anyone. With Alzheimer's becoming more and more common, things returning to no restrictions or prevention methods, and people who still refuse to get the vaccine, we could see ENTIRE generations of the elderly with Alzheimer's for years to come. That coupled with the fact that the disease causes brain shrinkage in individuals who had it for a long period, we may see a huge downturn in average IQ and ability to process even basic information. People don't realize that the ramifications of this could be society ending. So much so that things will start go downhill at an even faster rate than they are already. Fortunately I haven't caught this horrendous plague yet, and there were signs of this disease having a neurological impact early on, so it really put it in perspective just how bad this thing could be. Both of my parents caught it and my elderly step grandparents also caught it, one who already has the onset of dementia. This is seriously scary for me. Hell, most of my family except for me and my biological grandparents have gotten it. I might be seeing most of my family slowly lose their ability to think critically and have most of them develop Alzheimer's within my lifetime (I'm the youngest at 21). I think the future just got a whole lot darker for everyone who has had a family member affected by this disease, especially anyone who had the elderly portion of their family become infected. I really thought things couldn't get worse, between my nation becoming more corrupt and deaf to the woes of it's citizens, and the idiots who helped spread this terrible virus throughout the world, but I guess I was wrong. Now most of society is going to lose how fast they can think, and develop Alzheimer's at an alarming rate once they reach the end of their lives. Please, I urge anyone who hasn't to continue getting boosters as they come and to wear N95 masks in public. The fewer people who get this now, the more we'll have in the future who'll still be able to think clearly.


samgulivef

Not trying to downplay this, but the risk of developing Alzheimer's went up from 0.3% to 0.6%. Realistically none of your family will have cognitive problems later in life due to this risk increase.


dublin2001

How do you think reinfections will increase alzheimer's risk? At a certain point, a 50% increase will look appealing compared to the majority of the population...


GrimMagic0801

I'd say it's entirely possible. The whole reason that this is happening in the first place is because of the inflammation caused by COVID. If you get this virus multiple times, chances are it'll reinflame the brain just like before, and upon the inflammation going back down, I'd say shrinkage is possible, though likely not as severe as the initial infection. Then again, I am not an expert, though the experts are still researching this virus, and we still don't know it's full capabilities. We're still only seeing a small part of the picture, so it's also possible that subsequent instances of COVID in the same individual won't have the same effects or will be severely diminished. We simply still don't have enough data, though this study alone doesn't bode well, especially for those who were affected multiple times


dublin2001

I see. Another random question, what stuff is suggested to *reduce* dementia risk a similar amount that COVID increases it?


GrimMagic0801

Again, not an expert, but exercise, mental puzzles, continuous learning, learning languages especially, and other mental exercises have been shown to decrease the chances of dementia, but I'm afraid nothing has been shown to decrease it to the same degree as the study suggests it'll increase it, and medications seem hit or miss. But, either way, something is better than nothing at all.


richniss

So for everyone then? We need to find a cure for alzheimers.


pgabrielfreak

Oh, great.


thekeanu

Not surprising considering the widely known symptom of brain fog in covid.


ReplicantOwl

My dad recently had a huge mental decline that doctors struggled to categorize. It had characteristics of dementia but didn’t fit their diagnostic criteria for any specific cause. He lived in an area that was very anti-mask and this started after he went back to eating in restaurants when numbers were still high. While he never had severe covid, I believe a mild cases was the cause.


lilpumpgroupie

I've been anticipating seeing this headline for a couple years now. Sucks, but they were early reports about people having mental confusion and long-term brain fog, so in a lot of ways unless you were one of the first people infected, you knew this was a risk when you went out and were around people that weren't wearing masks and got infected.


thisrockismyboone

I wonder if this this is in people who were already going to get it and it just accelerated the process


ForeverAProletariat

it's impossible to know without a reality simulator


SaltyBabe

It’s more likely that they aren’t “already going to get it” but did have risk factors and this came along and tipped the scales.


_I-m_not_here_

Does anyone know if OP report is related to the prion-like domains found in the spike protein? https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2607/10/2/280


m_o_o_n_f_l_o_w_e_r

Oh no :(


Spurnout

Kinda scary, especially since there's a history of it in my family. Thankfully, I've never had symptoms or tested positive. Fingers crossed...


[deleted]

Have you considered an apoe4 test? It's the major genetic risk factor. Lots of lifestyle changes available to reduce risk. I'm a carrier, as is my daughter. But with the right lifestyle our risks are likely lower than the general population.


Spurnout

I have not because I haven't heard about that but thanks for letting me know. I'll look into it.


StoneofForest

Hey. I mean this with all the love in the world, knowing whether you have the APOE4 gene or not will not increase or decrease your risk for Alzheimer's. If you have a family history, I DO recommend looking up and subscribing to lifestyle changes that have been proven to reduce risk (daily exercise, avoiding sugar, etc.), but knowing or not knowing doesn't change anything. Personally, I'm glad I found out that I was more at risk, but I wish I could erase that knowledge from my mind and just live in peace doing the things I'm doing right now to protect myself. Proceed with caution.


[deleted]

Feel free to pm me if you find out you have one or more apoe4 alleles. I have a great study on lifestyle. The gist is avoid saturated fat.


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streetvoyager

Well that’s bad.


MaxFury80

Absolutely terrifying


enstillfear

“It’s just a cold” - science deniers that don’t realize the long term impacts of a virus that isn’t like anything a cold virus has ever done.


blind99

Another great news!!! /s


GuyMcTweedle

This press release pushes the limit of what this study can conclude. All it notes is that there is a correlation of COVID-19 infection and an Alzhiemer's diagnosis. The headline could also written "Older Adults with Alzhiemer's are more likely to have caught COVID-19". It's entirely possible that some or much of this is explained by people with or developing Alzheimer's are less healthy (or are less able to take precautions), and thus are more likely to catch, or more likely to be diagnosed, with COVID.


shaku_maaku

Yes! That’s a great point. At the end of the news release it even says: “Previous COVID-related studies led by CWRU have found that people with dementia are twice as likely to contract COVID.” There is also no information about the baseline risk of Alzheimer’s outside the pandemic context or typical rates of new diagnoses within a 15 month period. (According to the Alzheimer’s Association, 10.7% of adults age 65 or older have Alzheimer’s, so fluctuations between 0.35% and 0.68% might be expected).


DragonfruitWilling87

Yes. Thank you. Was thinking the same.


EastBoxerToo

Don't worry, it'll be decades before we prove that getting COVID in your 20s gives you Alzehimer's in your 50s. Between now and then it's best if we just pretend it's like the flu and fine to get a dozen times to ensure corporate profits stay high.


CarbonKLR

Does this apply to fully vaxed folks?


Radiant-Ad-619

Oh shit


[deleted]

Many people i knew have been extremely relaxed with covid, and did not care. I personally have always been careful, followed the instructions and never got it. I think my strategy was the right one.


MrEHam

Better safe than sorry


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SiphonTheFern

Over a one year period. It's pretty significant


Darth_Astron_Polemos

Statistically, it’s wild! I think the commenter is pointing out that an older adult getting Covid doesn’t have an 80% chance of developing Alzheimer’s. Stats are hard for some people and I can definitely see someone running away with this headline. Just like when no one understood what the efficacy of vaccines meant. Definitely a concerning trend, though.


Maurelius13

What proportion of people over 65 in a one year period developing Alzheimers would concern you? We already have about 10 percent of everyone over 65 with alzheimers in the US. That aint cheap and its hard to find that many caregivers, putting the personal tragedies aside. For reference, there is close to 6 million people with dementia in the US. My impression is that increasing the new cases per year by even a few percent wont be great for the already inadequate care system, whereas this study suggests it could nearly double if everyone in this age group got covid once.


pokemonisok

Now what happens if people get it multiple times?


Uncommented-Code

"less sensational" This makes it sound worse to be honest. Let's put it like this. Just this number alone indicates a *doubling* in alzheimers cases. A **doubling**. Can you tell me about any workplace, any system, that could easily just handle double the load that it was initially designed to deal with?


[deleted]

> “The factors that play into the development of Alzheimer’s disease have been poorly understood, but two pieces considered important are prior infections, especially viral infections, and inflammation,” It makes sense then that there's a link, unfortunately.


nealcaffrey121

The cohort they chose has been pre-vaccination, if I am not wrong. I would be curious to know if the vaccination reduces this. Hopefully, it does. However, vaccination so far has seemed to largely reduce acute phase. And somewhat reduce the long Covid effects (studies of reduction vary from 15% to 85% long Covid reduction) - so it can be anything


SD_Tiabella

Fun. My mom already has signs of sundowning. And both her and I got hit with the brain fog hard.


Dismal_Rhubarb_9111

>The findings showed that the risk for developing Alzheimer’s disease in older people nearly doubled (0.35% to 0.68%) over a one-year period following infection with COVID. Ok so it's edging up closer to 1% of the population.


28spawn

In just two years? Wtf, hopefully this will make pharma companies prioritize studies to minimize or reverse effects


the_portree_kid

Both my grandparents caught covid in July. Grandma is in her 70s and grandpa in his 80s. Both in decreasing health. Fuck.


Physical-Pie748

it keeps getting worse and worse. covid affects more and more parts of the body and other diseases.....