COVID-19: Scientists find how virus related illness affects immune system in kids

Marking another COVID-19 related development, scientists have now discovered how the immune system of children is changed in a rare COVID-19 related illness. The team of researchers, which included those from the King’s College London, analysed the effect of Pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome PIMS-TS  in children which is known to cause severe inflammation and in many cases heart damage. The study was published in journal Nature Medicine.

For the purpose of the study, researchers analyzed the blood samples of 25 children who had tested positive for the coronavirus and had PMS-TS as well. In addition, they also assess blood samples of those kids who had come in contact with COVID-19 patients or whose parent was a healthcare worker. The samples were drawn and tested at different levels starting from their first hospital appointment to their outpatient appointments. These results were then compared to healthy age-matched children.

Reduced number of WBCs

In the aftermath, researchers discovered that that in the acute stage of PIMS-TS, children have raised levels of the body's cell-cell signalling molecules called cytokines, and reduced levels of the immune system's white blood cells called lymphocytes. By the time the children had recovered, the immune system changes that earlier took place also returns to normal. Although the number of children in the study was small, the researchers said this is the first evidence about the role of the immune system in the disease.

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In a separate study, researchers found that coronavirus patients with mild symptoms develop an immune response that lasts for months and even longer, as opposed to earlier studies that suggested antibodies disappear just after recovery. The study conducted in China on 349 COVID-19 patients, the immune response lasted for six months regardless of illness severity. The study is yet to be reviewed by peer groups, which would give it legitimacy. In a similar study conducted in the United States, scientists discovered that defences created by the immune system in COVID-19 patients appeared even after three months of recovery. 

Read: COVID-19: Immune System Responses Can Help Predict Severe Outcomes, Says Study

Read:Scientists Identify Immune System Variation Linked To Severe COVID-19 Cases

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