How Our Own Immune Systems May Be Turning COVID-19 Into A Killer
- 4 years ago
Older people and those with preexisting health problems are more likely to develop severe novel coronavirus COVID-19 cases.
But infants can become seriously infected, and young, otherwise healthy adults have been hospitalized and died from complications, too.
Now, new research suggests a 'cytokine storm' is what triggers coronavirus cases to escalate from mild to severe.
According to Business Insider, a cytokine storm is an aggressive immune response that prompts white blood cells to attack healthy lung tissue.
Japanese immunologists recently determined that cytokine storms can lead to ARDS, a life-threatening lung injury, in coronavirus patients.
Knowing when and how to block them could be critical to preventing coronavirus deaths.
But infants can become seriously infected, and young, otherwise healthy adults have been hospitalized and died from complications, too.
Now, new research suggests a 'cytokine storm' is what triggers coronavirus cases to escalate from mild to severe.
According to Business Insider, a cytokine storm is an aggressive immune response that prompts white blood cells to attack healthy lung tissue.
Japanese immunologists recently determined that cytokine storms can lead to ARDS, a life-threatening lung injury, in coronavirus patients.
Knowing when and how to block them could be critical to preventing coronavirus deaths.