A common risk factor for Alzheimer's disease may be severe cerebrovascular disease

A study conducted by the University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital showed that the APOE4 allele may also increase the associated cerebral microhemorrhage.

About one-third of Finns carry the APOE4 allele, a genetic variant that predisposes carriers to Alzheimer's disease

The multidisciplinary team also studied the microscopic brain changes in the corpses of COVID-19 patients and the connection between APOE4 and mental fatigue symptoms 6 months after the onset

This new discovery was published in the Journal of Neuropathology Communications

"In the Finnish population, the common ε4 allele of the APOE gene seems to be associated with an increased risk of severe COVID-19

The APOE4 allele more than doubles the risk of severe COVID-19

According to the results of the study, people carrying the APOE4 allele have more than doubled the risk of infection with the new coronavirus that requires intensive care

Chief physician Johanna H?stbacka said that APOE4 may also affect the severity of certain long-term symptoms, especially in COVID-19 cases that require hospitalization

"In this study, mental fatigue (defined as difficulty concentrating) is one of the symptoms," Hästbacka said

Need more research

Myllykangas pointed out that in the current research data set, the number of COVID-19 patients is relatively small, and the results must be considered indicative at this time

"In order to confirm our findings, these phenomena must be studied in larger data sets," she pointed out

An important question that the study did not answer is the connection between COVID-19 and the onset of memory impairment in APOE4 carriers

“To answer this question, long-term follow-up studies are needed for patients who have recovered from COVID-19, and basic research on the combined effects of APOE4 and systemic inflammation on brain memory mechanisms is also needed