© 2024 WSHU
NPR News & Classical Music
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

COVID increases risk of 44 different neuro disorders, including Alzheimer's, 1 year post-infection

A picture of a human brain taken by a positron emission tomography scanner, also called PET scan, is seen on a screen. (Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images)
A picture of a human brain taken by a positron emission tomography scanner, also called PET scan, is seen on a screen. (Fred Tanneau/AFP via Getty Images)

The lead author of a new study on the neurological impact of COVID-19 infection says that the disease “is not as benign” as people may think.

The research, published in the journal Nature Medicine, finds post-COVID patients affected by 44 different neurological disorders, including increased risk for Alzheimer’s disease, in the year following infection. The study was conducted by researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.

Epidemiologist Ziyad Al-Aly joins Here & Now‘s Robin Young to discuss the findings and their significance.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.