Ending Neurodegenerative Disorders

A global epidemic of fatal neurodegenerative disorders that have a catastrophic emotional and financial toll on individuals and society is on the rise as the population gets older. Age-related neurodegenerative disorders currently have no effective treatments, and there are no effective ways to diagnose them early. The number of people living past their reproductive years is surging, which is entirely unprecedented in human history. As people get older, the prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease (AD), other dementias, Parkinson’s disease (PD), and other movement disorders increases dramatically. As a result, by the middle of their eighties, a person has a nearly 50% probability of showing symptoms of at least one of these diseases.

AD is a non-curable, age-related condition that causes confusion and memory loss. As AD worsens, it causes a decline in cognitive ability, personality and behaviour changes, and eventually a significant loss of mental function. A type of dysfunction of the motor system, PD is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disease after AD and is brought on by the death of dopaminergic cells.

The COVID-19 pandemic struck at a time when other health issues were on the rise, one of the most important of which is the epidemic of dementia and neurological illnesses. There are now some indications that COVID-19 is stabilising its spread. It is necessary to comprehend how the COVID-19 pandemic affects a different problem, the rise of neurodegenerative disorders.

Covid-19 and Neurological Disorder

New evidence suggests that SARS-CoV-2 can result in neurological issues. Although the lungs are the site of the majority of COVID-19 infection clinical manifestations, neurological symptoms frequently coexist with pulmonary symptoms. They typically impact the renal, gastrointestinal system, and skin, though they can also present as other neurological symptoms. A significant number of COVID-19 patients have recently presented with severe neurological symptoms that are most likely connected to COVID-19, such as stroke, polyneuritis, and encephalopathy.

Patients with neurological disorders and the effects of COVID-19

Concerns exist over the susceptibility of people with chronic illnesses, such as those suffering from Parkinson’s disease and other neurological ailments, to COVID-19. Here, we’ll focus more on the association between COVID-19 and movement disorders, primarily Parkinson’s disease. The choice of Parkinson’s disease as the problem to concentrate on is justified because there have been more investigations of this link and clearer (even if speculative) mechanisms suggested as compared to other movement disorders. It is hoped that soon the connection between COVID-19 and other neurodegenerative illnesses will be understood.

It is unclear how COVID-19 affects the clinical characteristics of PD, and some recent reports conflict with one another. Compared to others their age and with similar conditions, movement disorder patients do not currently have a significantly higher risk of coronavirus infection, according to solid and consistent data. However, those who have a persistent neurological condition are typically more vulnerable to the symptoms of any serious infection, particularly one that has a respiratory origin.

In an unallocated prospective cohort carried out in the Italian region of Lombardy, PD patients’ COVID-19 risk and death did not differ from that of the general population, although their symptoms were less severe. The authors proposed that a preventive effect of vitamin D supplements given to PD patients, which may lower concentrations of proinflammatory cytokines, may be responsible for a milder illness course. Older age and greater illness duration were related with poor COVID-19 outcomes in PD patients in this cohort.

The elevated risk of pneumonia in patients with advanced PD is evidence that PD can damage the respiratory system and is more prevalent in older people. It is likely that having a diagnosis of PD is a potential risk for greater respiratory issues or even a poor outcome following a COVID-19 infection, despite the dearth of supporting documentation.