Could the “Alzheimer’s gene” increase the risks of severe COVID-19? – Consumer health news
FRIDAY, December 31, 2021 (HealthDay News) – Certain gene mutation known as APOE4 has long been known to increase risk Alzheimers disease.
Now, researchers report that it may also expose people to increased susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and severe symptoms, including minor cerebral hemorrhage.
Researchers in Finland, where about a third of people carry APOE4 mutation, investigated the association between mutation and severe COVID-19. They also examined microscopic brain changes in the bodies of people who died of COVID-19 and looked at the symptoms of long-term mental fatigue experienced by some survivors.
“The common ε4 allele of the APOE gene appears to be associated with an increased serious risk of COVID-19 in the Finnish population. The importance of APOE4 is emphasized in the Finnish population, which may be due to its genetic homogeneity,” the researcher said. Dr. Liisa Myllykangas, consultant neuropathologist at the University of Helsinki.
The team found that the risk of developing COVID-19, which requires intensive care, more than doubled in those with the APOE4 mutation. Carriers of this mutation were also found to have additional microscopic cerebral hemorrhages as a result of severe COVID disease.
Dr. Johanna Hästbacka from Helsinki University Hospital said that APOE4 can also affect the severity of certain “long-term COVID” symptoms, including difficulty concentrating and concentrating.
The working group used data from the FinnGen project, which combines genomic data generated from biobank samples with health data compiled from national registries. This study was based on data from 46,000 people, more than 2,600 of whom were diagnosed with COVID.
Myllykangas noted that the number of COVID patients in the study was small and that further research is needed.
An important unanswered question in the study is the link between COVID-19 and the onset of memory impairment in APOE4 carriers, the researchers said.
“To answer this question, long-term follow-up studies with patients recovering from COVID-19 are needed, as well as basic research focusing on the interaction of APOE4 and systemic inflammation with brain memory mechanisms. Our research team has already initiated these follow-up studies at the University of Helsinki and HUS. [Helsinki University Hospital], ”Myllykangas said in a university press release.
The group recently published the findings in a journal Acta Neuropathologica Communications.
More information
The Alzheimer’s organization has more Alzheimer’s disease and genetics.
SOURCE: University of Helsinki, press release, December 27, 2021