2023-12-13 06:15:37
Verified on 13/12/2023 by Alexane Flament, Editor
On average, how many times do you get sick per year? The answer can vary greatly from person to personbut if you feel like you’re catching every disease going around while your friends are still spared, maybe you need to start asking yourself questions.
In today’s world, we are regularly exposed to all kinds of illnesses, including cold viruses, as well as the flu, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19.
Interviewed by our colleagues from Today.com, Dr. Otto Yang, professor of medicine specializing in infectious diseases, microbiology and immunology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, explains thatt it is normal for an adult to catch between one and three colds per year.
But, if you are the type who falls sick regularly, here are 4 reasons that might explain this state of affairs.
The level of exposure to diseases
A first reason that might explain why you regularly fall ill is your level of exposure to a particular virus et whether or not you take precautions to protect yourself from it.
Then there is the how your immune system responds to this exposure.
A person who tends not to go out and to wash your hands regularly with soap or hydro-alcoholic gel will be less likely to catch a cold than someone who is very sociable or whose job requires them to interact frequently with other people.
Age
Age plays a big role in how often you get sick.
Indeed, the type of exposure you have in preschool is very different from that which you have as a student, which itself is very different from that which you are exposed to as an adult working in an open space.
According to Andy Pekosz, a virologist and professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, an adult aged 30 to 40 has been exposed to many viruses in their lifetimefrom colds to flu, including tonsillitis and Covid-19, which allowed him to develop your immunity.
On the contrary, children are the most likely to get sick, particularly because they evolve in collective environments such as school. By extension, their parents are also very exposed to viruses that their children can bring home from school.
The strength of the immune system
After being exposed to a particular pathogen, your immune system determines whether you get sick or not.
“There is a diversity of immune responses among individuals, with some being better able to deal with certain types of infections than others“, explains Dr. Otto Yang.
The immune system is immensely complex, and small variations, defects, and genetic differences between individuals can determine the likelihood of becoming ill and the intensity of illness.
It is not impossible that a person who frequently falls ill is have an underlying illness that affects their immune system.
Concretely, someone who is immunocompromised is more likely to be infected, even if their level of exposure is the same as that of other people, simply because their immune system is weaker.
The multiplicity of diseases in circulation
There’s another less obvious factor that can make you feel like you’re catching more illnesses than usual: more than one disease can be circulating at the same time.
According to Public Health France, influenza, gastroenteritis and bronchiolitis are the three main infections which circulate in winter in France.
To this are obviously added colds, Covid-19 and, exceptionally this year, an epidemic of pneumonia.
Unfortunately, in the face of so many viruses, immune systems are put to the test.
It should be noted that other reasons can explain the frequency with which a person falls ill: poor diet, lack of physical exercise and stress are, in fact, all factors that influence and weaken the immune system.
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