Monday, February 22, 2021
Genetic risk factors for Alzheimer's also raise the risk of getting COVID-19
In this article written by Tina Hesman Saey, it is explained how a genetic variant that raises a person's risk of developing Alzheimer's may also aid in being more susceptible to COVID-19. People with two copies of the APOE4 version of the APOE gene are 14 times more likely to develop Alzheimer's than people with two copies of APOE3 version. They are also more than twice as likely to test positive for coronavirus. Researchers calculated that 410 out of every 100,000 people with two copies of the APOE4 version of the gene would test positive for coronavirus. This is compared with 179 out of every 100,000 people with two copies of the APOE3 version testing positive. Researchers finding this connection between the variation of the gene and COVID-19 could help people know if they are at a higher risk for testing positive if they have two copies of the APOE4 variant.
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I think its horrible that people who could be at risk for Alzheimer's now also have to worry about being more susceptible to COVID 19. I also never knew that people could have two copies of APOE4 and that they are 14 more times more likely to develop Alzheimer's.
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