Many wonder why children are less affected by the symptomatic forms of the coronavirus. In a study published this Monday, March 22, 2021, researchers provide an answer by showing that children under the age of ten produce significantly higher levels of antibodies than adults after being infected with Covid-19.
A higher level of antibodies in children than in adults
In a study published on Monday, March 22, 2021, researchers showed that children under the age of ten produce higher levels of antibodies than adults after being infected with Covid-19. To reach this conclusion, the specialists analyzed more than 31,000 serological tests performed in New York between the months of April and August 2020 with a focus on positive tests. According to their results, children between the ages of 1 and 10 developed a median level of IgG antibodies (immunoglobulin G, the class of antibodies most present in the blood), ” significantly higher Than in adults.
Compare the immune response according to the age of the populations
The researchers also performed more extensive analyzes on a smaller number of blood samples taken from children, adolescents and young adults, in order to better compare the immune response between these different populations. It shows that the median level of IgG antibodies is twice as high in children between 1 and 10 years old than in adolescents (11 to 18 years old). The latter themselves have a median level of IgG antibodies twice as high as young adults (19 to 24 years).
According to the study’s authors, “ Our results suggest that the differences in the clinical manifestations of Covid-19 in pediatric patients compared to those in adult patients, could in part be due to an age-related immune response. “. What they conclude: ” Our data may partly explain the overall lower level of symptoms and severe cases of the disease in infected children. “. In other words, even if children get less sick, they “could represent an important reservoir of transmission” of Covid-19.
