Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, scientists have worked hard to find out who is most at risk from SARS-CoV-2 and why.
And a new population study from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) found evidence that people with food allergies are more likely to be infected with the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes “Covid- 19 ”. 19 ″, compared to those. no. suffer it.
While previous research has identified obesity as a risk factor for severe disease from COVID-19, the new study has identified that obesity and a high body mass index (BMI) are associated with higher risk of SARS-CoV infection. two.
In contrast, the study found that asthma did not increase the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection. Although it affects the respiratory system.
The study also found that children aged 12 and under are as susceptible to virus infection as adolescents and adults, but 75% of infections in children have no symptoms.
Furthermore, the study confirmed that SARS-CoV-2 transmission is high in families with children.
In examining more than 4,000 people living in households with minors, the researchers noticed some intriguing trends in SARS-CoV-2 infection, including that people with food allergies are half likely to be infected.
The findings are consistent with other recent research, which found that allergic conditions, such as asthma, may offer some protection against chronic cases of Covid-19.
But finding out about food allergies may be the most striking finding of a recent study.
“Researchers aren’t sure why food allergies lower people to have SARS-CoV-2, but there are some possible explanations,” Drs. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Disease. Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the National Institutes of Health.
Half of the study participants said they had been diagnosed with food allergies, asthma, eczema, or allergic rhinitis. These self-reports were supported by a subset of blood tests, which revealed the presence of antibodies associated with allergic disease.
The researchers monitored the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in participating families from May 2020 to February 2021.
Those with eczema and asthma did not show additional vulnerability to the virus, but also did not appear to be protected.
Meanwhile, people with food allergies are 50% less likely to get SARS-CoV-2 infection.
Not all forms of asthma are atopic (also known as hypersensitive), and previous studies have shown that only people with atopic asthma express low airway levels of the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) receptor. , associated with SARS-CoV-2. .
This suggests that the virus does not have many ways to invade the lung cells of people with respiratory allergies.
And a similar thing can happen to people with food allergies, although researchers are only looking at SARS-CoV-2 infection, not the severity of the infection.
It is not known if this is also the case for people with food allergies, but it is tempting to think that type II inflammation, a sign of food allergy, can reduce ACE2 levels in the airways and so on. , the risk of injury.
They added: “In support of this possibility, we found higher levels of generalized atopy in people with self-reported food allergies, compared with people without food allergies and even in people with asthma.”
Interestingly, while some studies suggest that allergic asthma is protective against severe cases of COVID-19, the current study found that the condition is not protective against the initial contracting of the virus.
Furthermore, when a participant with asthma or a food allergy became ill with the coronavirus, they were unlikely to be asymptomatic.
More research is needed to unravel the mechanisms behind the new findings, but the authors hope their research will offer new ways to prevent COVID-19.
Source: Science Alert
Source: Arabic RT
