1. Role of Aging and the Immune Response to Respiratory Viral Infections: Potential Implications for COVID-19.
- Author
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Chen, Judy, Kelley, William J., and Goldstein, Daniel R.
- Subjects
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VIRUS diseases , *RESPIRATORY infections , *IMMUNE response , *OLDER people , *COVID-19 - Abstract
Aging impairs immunity to promote diseases, especially respiratory viral infections. The current COVID-19 pandemic, resulting from SARS-CoV-2, induces acute pneumonia, a phenotype that is alarmingly increased with aging. In this article, we review findings of how aging alters immunity to respiratory viral infections to identify age-impacted pathways common to several viral pathogens, permitting us to speculate about potential mechanisms of age-enhanced mortality to COVID-19. Aging generally leads to exaggerated innate immunity, particularly in the form of elevated neutrophil accumulation acrossmurine and large animal studies of influenza infection. COVID-19 patients who succumb exhibit a 2-fold increase in neutrophilia, suggesting that exaggerated innate immunity contributes to age-enhanced mortality to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Further investigation in relevant experimental models will elucidate the mechanisms by which aging impacts respiratory viral infections, including SARS-CoV-2. Such investigation could identify therapies to reduce the suffering of the population at large, but especially among older people, infected with respiratory viruses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2020
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