Some of the plasma biomarkers of neuronal damage and neuroinflammation are increased considerably in hospitalized COVID-19 patients with neurologic symptoms in comparison with hospitalized patients without such symptoms, revealed a new study presented at the Alzheimer′s Association International Conference (AAIC) 2021.

The study suggests that COVID-19 may hasten Alzheimer′s disease (AD) symptoms and pathology. Study investigator Thomas Wisniewski stated that there appears to be a clear link between SARS-CoV-2 infection and AD-related dementia. Patients with AD have a three times increased risk for the infection and a twofold greater risk for death.

Investigators followed 196 COVID patients with neurologic complications (case patients) and 186 matched control patients with no neurologic complications over 6 months. They compared several AD plasma biomarkers in 158 COVID patients having neurologic symptoms and 152 COVID patients without neurologic symptoms. There were considerable elevations of neurofilament light, a marker of neuronal injury, in patients with symptoms, and increased glial fibrillary acid protein, a marker of neuroinflammation. Another marker of neuronal injury, ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1, was also raised among patients with neurologic symptoms… (Medscape)