STUDY SUGGESTS ALZHEIMER'S, COVID-19 SHARE GENETIC RISK FACTOR

Our findings suggest that some people may have increased susceptibility to both Alzheimer's disease and severe Covid-19, irrespective of their age, as some of our immune cells appear to engage a common molecular mechanism in both diseases.

During a recent study, the University College London-led research team identified an antiviral gene that impacts the risk of both Alzheimer's disease and severe Covid-19.

The researchers estimate that one genetic variant of the OAS1 gene increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease by about 3 to 6 percent in the population as a whole, while related variants on the same gene increase the likelihood of severe Covid-19 outcomes. The findings, published in Brain, could open the door for new targets for drug development or tracking disease progression in either disease and suggest that treatments developed could be used for both conditions. The findings also have potential benefits for other related infectious conditions and dementias.

Lead author Dr Dervis Salih (UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology and UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL) said: "While Alzheimer's is primarily characterised by the harmful build-up of amyloid protein and tangles in the brain, there is also extensive inflammation in the brain that highlights the importance of the immune system in Alzheimer's. We have found that some of the same immune system changes can occur in both Alzheimer's disease and Covid-19.

In patients with severe Covid-19 infection, there can also be inflammatory changes in the brain. Here we have identified a gene that can contribute to an exaggerated immune response to increase risks of both Alzheimer's and Covid-19.