What chances do children have against COVID-19? Is the answer hidden within the thymus?
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What chances do children have against COVID-19? Is the answer hidden within the thymus? Hatice Güneş 1 & Serpil Dinçer 1 & Can Acıpayam 2 & Sadık Yurttutan 3
&
Mehmet Yaşar Özkars 4
Received: 5 May 2020 / Revised: 13 September 2020 / Accepted: 9 October 2020 # Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature 2020
Abstract A new type of coronavirus named as SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has begun to threaten human health. As with other types of coronaviruses, SARS-CoV-2 affects children less frequently, and it has been observed that the disease is mild. In the pathogenesis of a standard viral infection, the pathogen’s contact with the mucosa is initially followed by an innate immunity response. T cells are the primary decisive element in adaptive immunity capability. For this reason, the adaptive immune response mediated by the thymus is a process that regulates the immune response responsible for preventing invasive damage from a virus. Regulatory T cells (T-reg) are active during the early periods of life and have precise roles in immunomodulation. The thymus is highly active in the intrauterine and neonatal period; it begins to shrink after birth and continues its activity until adolescence. The loss of T-reg function by age results in difficulty with the control of the immune response, increased inflammation as shown in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) as an inflammatory storm. Also, the thymus is typically able to replace the T cells destroyed by apoptosis caused by the virus. Thymus and T cells are the key factors of pathogenesis of SARS-CoV-2 in children. Conclusion: We speculated that thymus activity and T lymphocyte function in children protect them against the virus effects. Stimulating and preventing the inhibition of the thymus can be possible treatment components against COVID-19. What is Known: • The SARS-CoV-2 infection does not often progress with an invasive clinic in children. • Thymus activity and T lymphocyte functions are highly active in children. What is New: • Effective thymus activity and T lymphocyte function in children protect them against the invasive SARS-CoV-2 infection. • Stimulating and preventing the inhibition of the thymus can be possible treatment components against COVID-19.
Keywords Children . Coronavirus . COVID-19 . Immunosenescence . SARS-CoV-2 . Thymus
Communicated by Nicole Ritz * Sadık Yurttutan [email protected]
1
Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
2
Department of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
3
Department of Pediatrics Division of Neonatology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Avsar Campus, 46100 Kahramanmaras, Turkey
4
Department of Pediatric Allergy and Immunology, Faculty of Medicine, Kahramanmaras Sutcu Imam University, Kahramanmaras, Turkey
Hatice Güneş [email protected] Serpil Dinçer [email protected] Can Acıpayam [email protected] Mehmet
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