Dr. David, a board-certified pediatrician in Florida and former FDA advisor during the COVID-19 vaccine rollout, has raised concerns over a groundbreaking new study from Korea that links mRNA COVID-19 vaccines to an increased risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease—including in children.

Alzheimer’s disease is a progressive brain disorder that causes the brain to shrink and leads to the death of brain cells, characterized by memory loss, confusion, and difficulty with problem-solving. The disease eventually worsens over time, leading to a debilitating loss of independence.

This study titled “The Potential Association Between COVID Vaccinations and the Development of Alzheimer’s Disease” was published in the Journal of Pathology, Microbiology and Immunity and involved 600,000 participants.

The Korean researchers divided patients into two groups for the study: those who received the COVID-19 vaccine and those who did not.

They specifically searched for ICD codes—medical codes used for insurance reimbursement—that indicated Alzheimer’s disease or its precursor, mild cognitive impairment.

The study also included control groups that looked for Parkinson’s disease and vascular dementia to compare against the Alzheimer’s-related findings.

The results were alarming. There was a significant increase in both mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer’s disease in individuals who received COVID-19 mRNA vaccines, while no similar increase was found in those with Parkinson’s disease or vascular dementia.

Dr. David emphasized the significance of these findings, pointing out that the risk was particularly higher in those who received mRNA-based vaccines.

“This is a pretty significant finding,” Dr. David stated, emphasizing the importance of further research. He noted that the key question now is whether the development of Alzheimer’s is specifically related to the spike protein targeted by the immune system after vaccination or if it’s tied to the mRNA technology itself.

The spike protein, which forms on the outer surface of the COVID-19 virus, is the target of the immune response triggered by the vaccine. The immune system creates antibodies against this spike protein to prevent future infections.

However, the study’s findings raise important questions about whether this immune response—or the mRNA mechanism used to deliver the vaccine—might contribute to cognitive decline in some individuals, including children.

As more data emerges, this study highlights the need for further investigation into the potential long-term effects of COVID-19 vaccines, particularly in relation to neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease.