As it has spread across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted all aspects of life, from daily social interactions to large-scale clinical research studies. On 29 July, as part of its 2020 Annual Conference, the US Alzheimer’s Association held a panel discussion aimed at shedding light on how AD communities have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.Attended by journalists from several high-profile media outlets, the panel discussion started with brief presentations from clinical research and policy experts, covering topics such as the impact of the pandemic on AD research trials, how COVID-19 affects the brain and cognition, and the devastating effects of COVID-19 on people with dementia in long-term care.
Professor Gregory Jicha, a neurologist from the Sanders-Brown Center on Aging in Kentucky, started by outlining how clinical trials such as the US POINTER and A4 studies have had to institute remote, at-home monitoring, which has reduced recruitment. However, he emphasised that there are tools available to enable participants to attend study visits in a safe and protected manner, such as COVID-19 testing, the use of PPE and physical distancing measures. Professor Neelam Aggarwal of the Rush Alzheimer’s Disease Center then summarised our current understanding of how COVID-19 affects the brain and cognition. In particular, she drew attention to the neurological symptoms of COVID-19 (loss of smell, increased risk of stroke) and gender-related differences in risk. She also emphasised that COVID-19 has amplified existing health disparities linked to ethnicity, social deprivation and age.
This theme was continued by Dr Maria Carillo and Beth Kallmeyer of the Alzheimer’s Association, who discussed how COVID-19 has exposed health differences that exist between different racial and ethnic groups. They emphasised that a disproportionate share of the COVID-19 burden is being borne by the most vulnerable populations, such as people with dementia in long-term care. Consequently, the Alzheimer’s Association has issued 16 policy recommendations to improve governmental responses in the long-term care setting, on testing, COVID-19 case reporting, management of clusters and practical support measures. For more information, please read the Alzheimer’s Association press release:
https://www.alz.org/aaic/releases_2020/covid-19-cognition-media-panel.asp
