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The scientists observed that 94% of the seriously ill coronavirus patients, whose condition was related to a high level of autoantibodies, were men.
A team of scientists suggests that why some patients with covid-19 are present fatal complications o Suffering serious health problems resides in the genes of the immune system. The findings were recently published in two studies compiled in the journal Science.
Research focuses on interferons (IFN, for its acronym in English), a group of proteins that act to defend the body from the presence of various pathogens, such as viruses, bacteria, parasites and cancer cells.
After conducting the corresponding analyzes, the specialists found that the most severe patients with covid-19 lacked these crucial genes, which would drastically influence the organism’s response in countering the disease and its level of susceptibility.
Interference of autoantibodies
In the first study, the scientists observed that the 10.2% of 987 patients who suffered a severe infection with the new coronavirus had an inborn genetic error. In these cases, cells that mistakenly attack the body, called autoantibodies, interfere with IFNs, triggering complications.
Meanwhile, other covid-19 patients with a milder or directly asymptomatic clinical picture did not have the same levels of autoantibodies, allowing their IFNs to fight the virus. Indeed, only four of the 1,227 patients healthy had autoantibodies.
“This is one of the most important things we have learned about the immune system since the beginning of the pandemic, “researcher Eric Topol, who was not involved in the new study, told US media, but stresses that the findings are” a groundbreaking discovery. “
The study was led by the Covid Human Genetic Effort, a coalition that includes 200 research centers in 40 countries.
Genetic mutations
On the other hand, the second study details that he had an additional 3.5% of critically ill patients mutations in the genes that control interferons and that help fight viruses. According to the lead author of the article, Qian Zhang, more mutations are likely to be found, as the body has between 500 and 600 of those genes.
Another important fact is that 94% of patients were severe with covid-19, whose condition was related to aa high number of autoantibodiesThey were men, which is a great disproportion to the female gender.
According to Paul Bastard, the lead author of the first study, it is not known why the autoantibodies did not cause problems until the new coronavirus arrived. Somehow, it appears that SARS-CoV-2 or the immune response activated them.
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