COVID19 can cause worrisome neurological symptoms such as loss of smell and taste, but Australian scientists warn that the damage the virus causes to the brain can also lead to serious conditions like Parkinson's disease.
It's happened before. Five years after the Spanish flu pandemic of the 1910s, the incidence of Parkinson's disease has tripled. Kevin Barnham of the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health said he believes a similar "silent wave" of mental illness will follow this pandemic. “Parkinson's disease is a complex disease, but one of the causes is inflammation, and viruses help drive that inflammation,” he says. "Once inflammation enters the brain, it sets off a cascade of events that can eventually lead to Parkinson's disease.
Researchers outlined their concerns in a study published in the Journal of Parkinson's Disease.
Reference: https://content.iospress.com/articles/journal-of-parkinsons-disease/jpd202211
Muhammad Umar Farooq, MD
Muhammad Taimoor Khan, MD
Adriana Tanner, MD
Sana Syed, MD, MPH
Saqib A.Chaudhary, M.D
Juliana Kiliment, MD
Sarwat Makkani, MD
Yanelquis Torres, MD
Zafar Kaleem, MD
Fabiola Baptiste, NP
Raga Mohamed Ali Osman
Sipra Talvikki Autio
