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69% higher risk of Alzheimer's for older COVID survivors https://www.cidrap.umn.edu/news-perspective/2022/09/possible-69-higher-risk-alzheimers-older-covid-survivors Older COVID-19 survivors, 69% higher risk of developing Alzheimer's disease, within 1 year of infection Medical records of 6,245,282 65 years and older Medical visits but no previous diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease February 2020 to May 2021 410,748 participants tested positive for COVID-19 5,834,534 did not test positive COVID-19 survivors had a 69% higher risk of a new diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease within 1 year of infection than their uninfected peers Hazard ratio 1.69; 95% (1.53 to 1.72) Most at risk Ages 85 and older, HR = 1.89 Women, HR = 1.82 Association of COVID-19 with New-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-alzheimers-disease/jad220717 Journal of Alzheimer's Disease, vol. 89, no. 2, pp. 411-414, 2022 13th September 2022 Infectious etiology of Alzheimer’s disease, postulated for decades So, is SARS-CoV-2 infection associated with increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease? Retrospective cohort study N = 6,245,282 older adults (age ≥65 years), People with COVID-19 were at significantly increased risk for new diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease Within 360 days after the initial COVID-19 diagnosis Propensity-score matching COVID-19 cohort = 0.68% non-COVID-19 cohort = 0.35% (hazard ratio or HR:1.69) TriNetX Analytics Platform de-identified electronic health records Over 95 million patients Inpatient and outpatient visits 68 health care organizations 28% of the US population 50 states, covering diverse geographic, age, race/ethnic, income, and insurance groups Our findings call for research to understand the underlying mechanisms and for continuous surveillance of long-term impacts of COVID-19 on Alzheimer’s disease Not clear whether COVID-19 triggers or accelerates development of Alzheimer's disease SARS-CoV-2 has been associated with inflammation and central nervous system disorders Prior infections, especially viral infections, and inflammation Dr. Pamela Davis We thought we had turned some of the tide on it by reducing general risk factors such as hypertension, heart disease, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle Now, so many people in the U.S. have had COVID and the long-term consequences of COVID are still emerging. It is important to continue to monitor the impact of this disease on future disability Plan to continue studying the potential effects of COVID-19 on Alzheimer's, and other neurodegenerative diseases, whether certain populations may be especially vulnerable Assess, any drugs could be repurposed to treat COVID-19's long-term effects

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