Also increases risk of Parkinson’s disease and stroke

Research recognized early on that a Covid-19 infection on the Brain can affect. The previously known neurological consequences of Corona include, for example difficulty concentrating, “Brain Fog” and even that loss of brain mass. Now has one Study from Denmark found that too risk of nervous diseases increases sharply due to a corona infection.

People who have tested positive for Corona also become ill higher risk of Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Likewise, the danger increases, a so-called ischemic strokeso to speak a heart attack in the brain, or to suffer a hemorrhage in the brain.

More than half of the Danish population examined – data compared with influenza patients

For the study, the Health data from more than half of the Danish population analyzed between February 2020 and November 2021. In total, more than 919,000 people were tested for corona as part of the study, around 43,000 of them were positive. The researchers also examined the data from influenza patients from the corresponding period before the pandemic.

The results of the study were published on Saturday (June 25, 2022) on the Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) presented in Vienna – and are clear: Anyone who has tested positive for Corona has a 3.5 times the risk of developing Alzheimer’sand a 2.6-fold risk of Parkinson’s disease.

The likelihood of one ischemic stroke rate was 2.7 times higher. This is the most common form of stroke. Such a “Stroke” occurs when blood clots travel through the bloodstream to the brain and cause vascular blockage there. The result: the nerve cells that would otherwise be supplied by the affected vessel die. This can result in paralysis, for example. The risk after Corona Cerebral hemorrhage (intracerebral hemorrhage) according to the study, even lies 4.8 times higher.

Effects of Covid-19 on neurological diseases – still not fully understood

Pardis Zarifkar, lead author of the study from the Department of Neurology at Rigshospitalet in Copenhagenexplained in a message: “More than two years after the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, the exact nature and evolution of the effects of Covid-19 on neurological diseases are still not characterized.” Previous studies have found a connection with neurological syndromes, but it is not yet known “whether Covid-19 also has the Frequency of certain neurological diseases affected and whether it differs from other respiratory infections.”

The Danish scientists also examined the latter in more detail. A difference to the flu or other respiratory diseases could not be determined. The only risk of an ischemic stroke is in Covid 19 patients 1.7 times higher, than in patients with influenza or bacterial pneumonia. This difference was also found only in the age group over 80 years.

The frequency of other neurodegenerative diseases such as multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, Guillain-Barré syndrome and narcolepsy did not gain weight after Covid-19, flu or pneumonia.

Most neurological diseases are not more common due to Corona

Zarifkar added: “These results will enhance our understanding of the long-term effects of Covid-19 on the body and the role that infections play in neurodegenerative diseases and stroke.” However, the researcher finds it reassuring that most neurological diseases caused by corona no more frequently occur than by the flu. However, further studies are needed in the future in order to be able to better assess the actual risk for Covid patients. In addition, it is not yet entirely clear which processes in the body are responsible for the phenomenon after an infection.

You might also be interested in this: Study on Long Covid: These people suffer from it more often than others.

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