Seriously ill Covid-19 patients affect the immune system: study

London: Researchers have found that people who are seriously ill with Covid-19 disease have antibodies that block interferons, which are an important part of the body’s immune mechanism.

While most people who die from Covid-19 are older, up to five to 10 percent of younger adults and children can also be seriously infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the study published in the journal Science reported.

Researchers from all over the world have tried to find out why some people get very sick and others are barely affected by Covid-19.

“Deaths and severe Covid-19 are more common in men than women. Our study showed that men have more of these antibodies, ”said study author Eystein Husebye from the University of Bergen in Norway.

Husebye was involved in this study as he has many years of experience with patients with the immune disease APS1.

APS1 is a serious but rare immune disease. Patients with APS1 have high levels of antibodies against interferons.

When these patients then become infected with Covid-19, their bodies act against their own immune systems. In addition, this reaction has also been seen in patients with milder immune disorders.

“It is relatively easy to see whether young people with Covid-19 have these antibodies in their blood. If so, they could possibly be given extra interferons for treatment, ”said Husebye.

Even if it is easy to use blood tests to detect antibodies to interferons, the author does not recommend massive screening of healthy people.

Most people with APS1 are diagnosed in their childhood, and most people with immunodeficiency have already been diagnosed.

“Immunodeficiency is only part of the puzzle when it comes to understanding why young people can die from Covid-19. Elderly people generally die from more complex causes, ”the authors wrote.

(IANS)