The relationship between COVID-19 and the onset of neurodegenerative disease: clinical case

In this article the relationship between COVID-19 and the onset of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease is observed. Possible mechanisms of pathogenesis are discussed: activation of microglia, formation of neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid plaques, which indicates a possible acceleration of pathological processes characteristic of neurodegenerative diseases. A review of the literature suggests that COVID-19 may act as a catalyst for the development or acceleration of neurodegenerative processes. The article presents a clinical observation of a patient admitted to the therapeutic department due to a hypertensive crisis, who developed mixed dementia after COVID-19 infection. The results of clinical and biochemical blood tests are within the reference values. On MRI of the brain – atrophy of the medial temporal lobe, signal changes in the basal ganglia, foci of vascular genesis. On EEG: Disorganized EEG type with dominance of slow activity in the theta rhythm range. Psychodiagnostics revealed cognitive decline to the level of moderate dementia (according to the MMSE scale – 13 scores). The importance of long-term monitoring of patients with post-COVID syndrome and the development of strategies for the prevention and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases in the context of the pandemic is emphasized.