Covid linked to deadly diseases, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, bowel disease

As Australia enters its eighth Covid wave, alarming new research suggests catching the virus could have long-term health implications.

Two new Covid vaccines will become available in Australia soon with proven success at fighting off new strains of the virus. Picture: iStock

As Australia enters its eighth Covid wave, researchers are warning of a possible link between Covid and a range of devastating diseases such as Parkinsons, Alzheimers as well as auto-immune conditions like bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.

More than 10,000 Australians reported contracting the virus in the last seven days but the true figure could be much larger as it is no longer a requirement to lodge a positive test with a person’s state.

Added to that new data revealed only 1.9 million Australian adults have received a Covid vaccination in the last six months, and many of these will be approaching six months since their last infection.

But researchers are now suggesting Aussies should be worried not just about the impact of the virus in the short term — they should consider how it might impact them long-term.

Australia is experiencing its eighth wave of Covid. Picture: iStock

Professor Catherine Bennett, the chair of epidemiology at Deakin University, told news.com.au that Covid could lead to health problems beyond long Covid.

“We know enough that tells us there is an inflammatory response which can persist in some people when they contract Covid and we know chronic inflammation is one of the general phenomena that can impact a person’s health quite chronically,” she said.

While Prof Bennett said everyone experiences inflammation to some degree, in a certain number of cases the inflammation is more severe and may persist for some time.

“We will have a certain number of people develop diseases like Parkinson’s and diabetes and we don’t know yet whether Covid might accelerate disease or be associated with additional people developing these conditions,” she said.

She admitted it was difficult to speak concretely about it saying it may be a case of “shifting thresholds”.

“If people are on the pathway to developing Parkinson’s, just because Covid preceded symptoms it doesn’t mean it is the cause. It might just be incidental.

“It is much harder when you have these complex health conditions with multiple risk factors and how Covid fits into that picture will be different for different people.”

Research led by The University of Queensland backed up this assessment.

It found Covid activates the same inflammatory response in the brain as Parkinson’s disease.

More than 10,000 Australians reported contracting Covid in the last seven days. Picture: NCA NewsWire / David Crosling

The discovery identified a potential future risk for neurodegenerative conditions in people who’ve had Covid, but also crucially a possible treatment.

“We studied the effect of the virus on the brain’s immune cells, ‘microglia’ which are the key cells involved in the progression of brain diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s,” one of the lead researchers Professor Trent Woodruff said.

“Our team grew human microglia in the laboratory and infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19.

“We found the cells effectively became ‘angry’, activating the same pathway that Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s proteins can activate in disease, the inflammasomes.”

Another lead researcher on the project Dr Albornoz Balmaceda said triggering the inflammasome pathway sparked a ‘fire’ in the brain, which begins a chronic and sustained process of killing off neurons.

“It’s kind of a silent killer, because you don’t see any outward symptoms for many years,” Dr Albornoz Balmaceda said.

“It may explain why some people who’ve had Covid are more vulnerable to developing neurological symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease.”

But researchers all agree it is early days.

“We don’t have definite proof … but certainly that is the concern that being exposed to this virus may increase the risk in future,” Prof Woodruff told news.com.au.

There is prior evidence that some of the concerns may have played out in other pandemics and with other viruses.

The Spanish flu, which broke out in 1918, coincided with significantly increased numbers of people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease later in life, particularly those who were young when the outbreak took hold.

Aussies are being warned to get vaccinated as Australia experiences its Covid wave.

Two new Covid vaccines will become available in Australia soon with proven success at fighting off new strains of the virus.

The decision comes as alarming new data revealed only 1.9 million Australian adults have received a Covid vaccination in the six months to November 8.

For younger Australians, the take up of a booster dose has stalled. Only 5.5 per cent of Australians aged 18 to 64 years rolling up their sleeves for a jab.

The Pfizer and Moderna XBB1.5 vaccines were approved by the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI) and on Monday, this advice was accepted by the federal government.

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Originally published as Covid linked to deadly diseases, Parkinsons, Alzheimers, bowel disease