Scientists Try To Counter Phenomenon In Which Immune System Attacks Patient’s Own Organs
The "cytokine storms” are being seen especially in young patients with the coronavirus. A drug that's sometimes used to soothe an immune system in distress is being considered as a possible treatment. In other news: the science behind the 14-day quarantine, the gender disparities seen with the virus, a look at adverse neurological effects being seen in some patients, and more.
The 42-year-old man arrived at a hospital in Paris on March 17 with a fever, cough and the “ground glass opacities” in both lungs that are a trademark of infection with the new coronavirus. Two days later, his condition suddenly worsened and his oxygen levels dropped. His body, doctors suspected, was in the grip of a cytokine storm, a dangerous overreaction of the immune system. The phenomenon has become all too common in the coronavirus pandemic, but it is also pointing to potentially helpful drug treatments. (Mandavilli, 4/1)
If you're one of the many people who are being asked to quarantine for a fortnight, you might be asking: Why 14 days, exactly? The answer has to do with how viruses invade cells and replicate. Once a virus infects someone — a host — it takes some time for the virus to make enough copies of itself that the host begins to shed the virus, through coughs or sneezes, for instance. (Wamsley and Simmons-Duffin, 4/1)
More infected men than women seem to be dying from the new coronavirus, according to data from countries hit by the pandemic, but an incomplete data set is clouding scientists’ ability to understand why. The pattern underscores the role that sex—and the associated social norms and behaviors—plays as an indicator of risk and response to infection and disease. (Camero, 4/2)
President Trump and his top scientific advisers on the coronavirus task force gave a much-anticipated presentation Tuesday night, laying out the data behind the president's recent shift in tone regarding the outbreak, including his decision to extend national social distancing guidelines through April 30. (Aizenman, 4/1)
Neurologists around the world say that a small subset of patients with Covid-19 are developing serious impairments of the brain. Although fever, cough and difficulty breathing are the typical hallmarks of infection with the new coronavirus, some patients exhibit altered mental status, or encephalopathy, a catchall term for brain disease or dysfunction that can have many underlying causes, as well as other serious conditions. These neurological syndromes join other unusual symptoms, such as diminished sense of smell and taste as well as heart ailments. (Rabin, 4/1)
As the novel coronavirus spread across the globe and health officials implored the public to use more hand sanitizer to mitigate the potentially deadly pathogen, grocery stores and online retailers saw the product evaporate from their shelves. Desperate first responders and others on the frontlines of the battle against the pandemic grew alarmed, but in walked an unlikely savior: the booze industry, which shifted gears to churn out sanitizer using alcohol it had on hand and following a recipe approved by the World Health Organization. (Turner, 4/2)
Sterling Matthews, 60, who lived south of Richmond in Chester, Va., died Tuesday at Bon Secours St. Francis Medical Center. He first went to the hospital on March 23 seeking to be tested for the novel coronavirus, but he was told he had pneumonia and was sent home, Alice Matthews said. His health continued to deteriorate, and on Friday, he went back to St. Francis by ambulance. He was admitted and tested positive for the virus. (Vozzella, 4/1)
Dolly Parton, no one can hold a candle to you. The legendary performer on Wednesday announced she was making a $1 million donation to Vanderbilt University's coronavirus research. "My longtime friend Dr. Naji Abumrad, who's been involved in research at Vanderbilt for many years, informed me that they were making some exciting advancements towards research of the coronavirus for a cure," she wrote in a statement posted to Instagram. (Gonzalez, 4/1)
The next phase of the Covid-19 pandemic will be extremely challenging as people we know and love come down with the disease. Some may become gravely ill and even die. But we are not powerless against the virus. We must prepare ourselves for what's ahead and have a plan, starting with ourselves and our own loved ones. (Wen, 4/1)
Earlier this week, Tara Waters made her will. She's just 42 years old and the mother of two young children. But amid the climate of uncertainty surrounding the coronavirus pandemic that is sweeping the nation, she, like people of many ages and walks of life, is grappling with the difficult subject and not taking any chances. (Thorbecke, 4/2)
