Thread by @loscharlos

"At first he was very skeptical of claims the virus hides out in the brain, but recent studies made him take it seriously, especially autopsy studies done by @NIH. It might be that residual traces of virus are causing persistent inflammation" #LongCovid washingtonpost.com/business/long-…

"Science is starting to uncover an unnerving fact about viruses: Some might affect our brains over the long haul. It came as a shock that SARS-CoV-2 can lead to lingering neurological problems — a post-viral syndrome we call #LongCovid. But.. might not be unique to this virus."

"Scientists are finding links between common viruses such as influenza & brain diseases like MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s & ALS. Researchers are hoping that identifying a viral link might finally allow scientists to figure out what causes these mysterious, deadly ailments"

"A new study used a trove of EHR to find thousands w/ neurodegenerative diseases & tease out correlations with 22 different kinds of infections. The biggest viral risk factor for dementia was encephalitis.. an infection of the brain often caused by mosquito or tick-borne disease"

"Earlier studies had looked for specific viral links to Alzheimer’s and found correlations with herpes and some forms of HPV. And a study published last year showed that Epstein-Barr virus was necessary for developing MS."

"To better understand how viruses might be affecting the brain, I stopped by the @NIH to visit Avindra Nath.. In 2014, he was the first neurologist to travel to Liberia to treat Ebola patients, & he said a fraction who recover suffer neurological symptoms similar #LongCovid"

"Nath’s interest in these started when he was treating a patient who had both #HIV & #ALS, & after taking antiretroviral drugs, the ALS disappeared. A series of.. studies convinced Nath ALS might sometimes be triggered by an embedded virus called HERV-K." washingtonpost.com/business/long-…

"He’s also studying the kinds of viruses we catch from the outside world. He thinks viruses are more likely to trigger brain diseases indirectly — not by getting directly into neurons, but by prompting inflammation. It’s the immune system’s response that causes the problem."

"He’s now studying people with neurological problems following Covid infection... It’s possible that this has always been happening to some fraction of people who pick up common viruses. It’s just
that it didn’t get all that much attention before the Covid pandemic." #LongCovid

"Nath said virology & neurology were 2 completely different worlds, & he was unique in trying to navigate both fields at same time. If viruses do indeed play a role in some of our most feared & costly diseases, that could point to a whole new approach to treatment & prevention."

"In the future, everyone might get vaccinated against Epstein-Barr virus as a protection against MS. And it may turn out that you can reduce your odds of getting Alzheimer’s disease by getting that shingles shot & a flu shot every year."

"Scientists could even eventually develop a universal, variant-proof Covid vaccine that would finally prevent the risk of #LongCovid

Someday people may look back at the expensive drugs we tested for dementia.. & wonder how we overlooked benefits of cheap vaccines for so long."

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