Scientists were working so hard to find the facts and reasons for coronavirus. Finally, Scientists in the US have found a possible and clear explanation about why CoVID-19 affects older people severely as compared to the younger generation.
The research has found that substances present in the daily medicinal intake of people, suffering from cardiovascular and other chronic diseases, provide more cohesion to the virus leading to severe problems.
In the Journal of Travel Medicine, the researchers said that the new novel coronavirus binds to Angiotensin-converting Enzyme (ACE2) Receptors in the lower respiratory tract to make their way in the lungs.
We All know that ACE inhibitors and ARBs are highly prescribed medicines to patients with blood pressure, diabetes, kidney diseases, or cardiovascular diseases. Many of those who develop these diseases are older adults, and they are in huge numbers.
They have prescribed these medications and take them every day,” James Diaz said. A professor at the Louisiana State University (LSU) in the US.
Researches did research and found an increasing number of ACE2 receptors in the blood circulation between the lungs and heart. According to them, Since patients treated with ACEIs and ARBS will have increased numbers of ACE2 receptors in their lungs for coronavirus S proteins to bind to, they may be at an increased risk of severe disease outcomes due to SARS-CoV-2 infections,” said Diaz.
They analyzed 1,099 patients with confirmed CoVID infection; results came out that more severe outcomes and complications were observed in patients with any of the diseases like hypertension, diabetes, cardiovascular problems or kidney diseases, and all patients were taking ACEIs or ARBs as an indication for their treatment.
Diaz recommends future case-control studies to confirm the hypothesis regarding ACEIs and ARBs contributing to making condition severe. Patients taking ACEIs and ARBs for treatment of cardiovascular diseases should not stop taking their medicine, but should avoid mass events, crowds, ocean cruises, prolonged air travel, and all persons with respiratory illnesses during the current COVID-19 outbreak to reduce their risks of infection,” he added.
Diaz said that two mechanisms might protect children from COVID-19 infections — cross-protective antibodies from multiple upper respiratory tract infections caused by the common cold-causing alpha coronaviruses, and fewer ACE2 receptors in their lower respiratory tracts to attract the binding S proteins of the beta coronaviruses.