On April 3, theWashington Postreported some good news about COVID-19.
A man named William Bill Lapschies celebrated his birthday and his full recovery from the novel coronavirus.
He took ill in early March and was one of the first confirmed cases in Oregon.
Bill Lapschies is and will continue to be 104 years old.
He was 52 exactly half Bill Lapschies age.
Why did Adam die?
What factors make some of us more fit, immunity-wise, than others regardless of age?
We know that our immune system function declines with age.
Doctors call it immunosenescence.
Same process with your immune system."
Kang has been studying human aging for 20 years.
We see fewer naive CD8+ T cells, which are needed to recognize newly emerging microorganisms likethe COVID-19 virus.
It happens to everyone on some level, just not at the same rate."
The difference in rate of decline between individuals is one of science’s big mysteries.
Fortunately, we won’t always be in a pandemic.
Terms to Know
Aging Effect No.
And no one really knows why."
So let’s say COVID-19 shows up.
That makes us more vulnerable.
Or rather, that makes most of us more vulnerable.
If you want your iron levels tested, they know what the normal range is.
We have no idea what the normal level is for these cells.
We don’t even measure them in a regular blood test."
The reasons these key cells decline over time could be manifold: Our bone marrow produces white blood cells.
Is that where the problem lies?
An apple a day?
All of the above?
All immunologists can do is keep looking.
We know genetics plays a part, Butte says.
But it’s debatable how big of a part compared with environment and lifestyle."
