Autor: |
Cham LB; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Pahus MH; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Grønhøj K; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Olesen R; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Ngo H; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Monrad I; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Kjolby M; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Pharmacology, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Steno Diabetes Center Aarhus, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Tolstrup M; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Gunst JD; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark., Søgaard OS; Department of Infectious Diseases, Aarhus University Hospital, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark.; Department of Clinical Medicine, Aarhus University, 8200 Aarhus, Denmark. |
Abstrakt: |
An effective but balanced cellular and inflammatory immune response may limit the severity of coronavirus disease (COVID-19), whereas uncontrolled inflammation leads to disease progression. Older age is associated with higher risk of COVID-19 and a worse outcome, but the underlying immunological mechanisms for this age-related difference are not clear. We investigated the impact of age on viral replication, inflammation, and innate and adaptive cellular immune responses in 205 hospitalized COVID-19 patients. During the early symptomatic phase of COVID-19, we found that patients above 65 years had significantly higher viral load, higher levels of proinflammatory markers, and inadequate mobilization and activation of monocytes, dendritic cells, natural killer cells, and CD8 T cells compared to those below 65 years. Our study points toward age-related deficiencies in the innate immune cellular response to SARS-CoV-2 as a potential cause of poorly controlled viral replication and inflammation during the early symptom phase and subsequent disease progression. |