Most people's immune systems successfully fight coronavirus infection - but for some, Sars-CoV-2 triggers a dangerous chain reaction.
- Doctors report Covid 19 cases, the course of which resembles a flu infection.
- Anyone who has previous illnesses or smokes runs the risk that a coronavirus infection will take a threatening course.
- Learn how the body responds to an infection here.
"The course of the disease is unspecific, varied and varies widely, from symptom-free courses to severe pneumonia with lung failure and death. Therefore, no general statements can be made about the" typical "course of the disease": This comment by the Robert Koch Institute on the course of the disease of coronavirus infections it hits the point. Depending on the health status and age of a Covid 19 patient, the course of the disease differs enormously.
If coronaviruses enter the body, the immune system is activated and fights the pathogens. In most cases, the body's defense system can cope with the new type of corona virus - in the worst case, the chain reaction can be fatal .
Can corona viruses make the immune system go crazy?
"Unlike flu and cold viruses , coronaviruses can cause the immune system to go crazy and damage several organs in the body. The current virus Sars-CoV-2 is no exception in its severe form," reports the National Geographic portal. But how correct is this claim? Scientists are currently researching feverishly how the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2 is structured and how it works in the body.
"Sars" stands for "Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome", so it is a pathogen that affects organs responsible for breathing. These include the lungs and bronchi. If the body's defense against the viruses fights, typical symptoms * such as fever, headache, sore throat and muscle aches, chills and dizziness occur. However, the infection can culminate in severe atypical pneumonia with acute shortness of breath and severe cough, as reported by the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research.
Read also : Coronavirus: That is why younger people are also affected by severe Covid 19 courses .
Coronavirus infection: the body's own defenses are activated
If the virus penetrates the body through the mucous membranes of the mouth, eyes or nose, it can attack several organs at the same time and multiply there, as scientists from the Huazhong University of Science and Technology in Wuhan have found. The enzyme furin is responsible for this: only if the coronavirus finds this protein structure on the surface of cells can it penetrate into the cell and multiply there. Scientists are now trying to find out whether blocking the furin enzyme can prevent the virus from entering the cells , as the world reports.
In general, doctors assume that a healthy immune system can cope with the novel corona virus and can successfully eliminate it. If pathogens such as Sars-CoV-2 penetrate the body, a natural defense reaction sets in : The immune system is activated by antigens (foreign substances such as proteins on the surface of viruses) by docking onto special receptors of defense cells. Various cell processes are started that are supposed to render the pathogens harmless.
If the immune system has already stored information about the virus or the bacterium that it is fighting - for example due to an infection with the same pathogen in the previous year - it can access it. In this case, the body can already use antibodies it has produced itself. However, since most people have not yet had contact with the novel coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, this acquired immune defense does not work. The innate immune system is activated instead. Also known as a non-specific defense system, it releases so-called phagocytes and killer cells, which are supposed to eliminate harmful substances.
More on the topic : Medicines against Covid-19: Clinic in Austria with "careful good news" .
Inflammaging could promote overreaction in the body's defenses
If the body's defense reaction proceeds in an orderly manner, normal viruses can usually be successfully combated by the immune system. However, if the body's defenses overreact , this can have dangerous consequences.
Immunologists explain that the current coronavirus pandemic can be life-threatening and fatal, particularly among older and pre-ill people, because their immune system responds too strongly to the novel pathogen. Extremely violent symptoms of the disease are the result of the overreaction. The so-called "inflammaging" should be responsible for this: With age, many defects accumulate in the body, the body's own defense is permanently alarmed and there are many small, unnoticed inflammatory reactions, as the world writes. A new and alien pathogen can ensure that the immune system triggers a chain reaction that can have life-threatening consequences. To what extent the "inflammaging" theory is correct, however, still needs to be researched.
More sources : www.nationalgeographic.de; www.rki.de; www.welt.de; www.gesundheitsinformation.de
Read more : Covid-19 and flu in comparison: RKI with a new assessment - "Everyone has to open their eyes".
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