Stiff Fibroblasts: Why Healthy Ageing Is Not Enough to Fight Covid-19
Imagine skin wrinkles; no amount of exercise or healthy eating could prevent that.
Age represents the number one risk factor for severe Covid-19. “Adults over 65 years of age represent 80% of hospitalizations and have a 23-fold greater risk of death than those under 65,” Harvard researchers stated in a published review in Aging.
The risk is independent; it remains even after adjusting for confounds, including medical comorbidities. It seems even healthy older adults are at risk for severe Covid-19. This is by no means surprising as aging alone is an independent risk factor for many diseases like cancer, Alzheimer’s disease, and respiratory virus infections like influenza and SARS.
Aging of the Immune System
The most common explanation for the direct causal link between aging and diseases is that the immune system gradually becomes inefficient. The organ where cancer- and virus-fighting T-cells mature called the thymus decrease in size as people age, for example. Other mechanisms include immunosenescence…
