Dementia and COVID Risk

Dementia Increases Risk and Severity of COVID-19

People with dementia have a higher risk of getting COVID-19, are more likely to require hospitalization, and are more likely to have severe or fatal cases of this disease than people without dementia.

This risk is even higher in Black patients with dementia, according to a new study.

A person’s age and preexisting health conditions such as asthma, diabetes, heart disease, and obesity are significant risk factors for serious illness from COVID-19. Interestingly, these factors are also linked to dementia. However, scientists and doctors have little information about how COVID-19 affects people who have dementia.

Researchers found people with dementia were twice as likely to get COVID-19 compared with people without dementia, even after adjusting for age, sex, living in a nursing home, and having similar preexisting conditions.

Researchers suggested memory problems associated with dementia might make it difficult for patients to stick to safety measures such as wearing masks, washing hands frequently, and social distancing.

Results showed 73% of Black patients with dementia and 54% of White patients with dementia were hospitalized within 6 months of their COVID-19 diagnosis, compared with 25% of patients without dementia.

Only 20% of Black patients with dementia but not COVID-19 and 12% of White patients with dementia but not COVID-19 were hospitalized within the same time frame. Patients of either race with dementia were almost four times more likely to die from COVID-19 than patients without dementia.

Researchers also found that vascular dementia led to the highest risk of COVID-19, suggesting damaged blood vessels might make it easier for disease-causing bacteria and viruses to enter the brain.