Inflamm-aging: Why older men are the most susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 complicated outcomes.
Cytokine Growth Factor Rev
; 53: 33-37, 2020 06.
Article
in English
| MEDLINE | ID: covidwho-154941
ABSTRACT
Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection is characterized by a high mortality of elderly men with age-related comorbidities. In most of these patients, uncontrolled local and systemic hyperinflammation induces severe and often lethal outcomes. The aging process is characterized by the gradual development of a chronic subclinical systemic inflammation (inflamm-aging) and by acquired immune system impairment (immune senescence). Here, we advance the hypothesis that four well-recognized features of aging contribute to the disproportionate SARS-CoV-2 mortality suffered by elderly men i. the presence of subclinical systemic inflammation without overt disease, ii. a blunted acquired immune system and type I interferon response due to the chronic inflammation; iii. the downregulation of ACE2 (i.e. the SARS-CoV-2 receptor); and iv. accelerated biological aging. The high mortality rate of SARS-CoV-2 infection suggests that clarification of the mechanisms of inflamm-aging and immune senescence can help combat not only age-related disorders but also SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Keywords
Full text:
Available
Collection:
International databases
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Pneumonia, Viral
/
Aging
/
Interleukin-6
/
Coronavirus Infections
/
Peptidyl-Dipeptidase A
Type of study:
Prognostic study
Limits:
Aged
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Language:
English
Journal:
Cytokine Growth Factor Rev
Journal subject:
Allergy and Immunology
/
Biochemistry
Year:
2020
Document Type:
Article
Affiliation country:
J.cytogfr.2020.04.005
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