2024-01-22 13:14:24
Viruses such as COVID-19 and measles steal immunity and make it easier to contract other infections.
Entered 2024.01.22 22:13 Entered 2024.01.22 22:13 Modified 2024.01.22 22:12 Views 27
After COVID-19 is cured, will we not have to worry about the flu for a while? [사진=게티이미지뱅크]If you have been infected with COVID-19, it is highly likely that you will not be infected with the same variant of the virus for at least several months. So, after COVID-19 is cured, we won’t have to worry about the flu for a while?
Regarding this, a paper published in the Journal of the American Medical Association Medical News and Perspectives proposes the theory that infection with COVID-19 may strengthen immunity to the virus, but may also make you more vulnerable to other diseases. did. This theory explains the link between COVID-19 and the recent surge in respiratory diseases.
The crux of the theory is that SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, steals immunity, making some people infected with the virus more susceptible to other infections. In other words, ‘immunity theft’ occurs.
In fact, a study published in the academic journal “Family Medicine and Community Health” supports ‘immune theft’. Researchers analyzed electronic health record data from 61.4 million patients in the United States, including 1.7 million children under 5 years of age. Researchers found that children infected with COVID-19 had a ‘significantly increased’ risk of becoming infected with respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes colds and pneumonia, compared to children who had not previously been infected with COVID-19.
“The immune system may not be normal after being infected with COVID-19,” said Dr. Thomas Russo, a professor and infectious disease expert at the University at Buffalo in New York. “The best example can be seen in critically ill patients. “They tend to get super infections that can make them really sick,” he said.
‘Immunity theft’ is a different concept from ‘immunity debt’, which refers to a decrease in immunity due to lack of exposure to bacteria and viruses. Immunity debt is often used to explain the surge in flu and RSV cases following the COVID-19 lockdown.
“There is some data suggesting that immunity theft may be real,” Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease expert and professor at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, told Yahoo Life. “There is preliminary data to suggest that some people may be more susceptible to other infections over a period of time,” he said.
Experts said immunity theft can also occur in other health conditions. “People who get measles lose immune protection against other infections for a period of time,” said infectious disease specialist Dr. Patrick Jackson. “The measles virus kills off immune cells by infecting them, which provide us with long-lasting immune memory.” “I order it,” he explained.
Dr. Schaffner also pointed out, “Measles infection clearly appears to have an effect on the immune system,” adding, “You may be more susceptible to other infectious diseases for several months after contracting measles.”
This phenomenon can also occur with the flu, Dr. Russo said. “After suffering from the flu, symptoms may improve for a period of time and then a bacterial super infection may occur,” he said. “This is because flu infection suppresses the immune response, making the individual more vulnerable.”
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