SARS-CoV-2 specific antibody response profiles change depending on the age of the infected person.
- The median level of IgG antibodies was found to be twice as high in children between 1 and 10 years old than in adolescents (11 to 18 years old)
- Teenagers had a level twice as high as young adults (19 to 24 years old).
- This explains the very low level of severe Covid cases among young people
Children under the age of ten have higher antibody levels after being infected with the coronavirus than adolescents and adults, according to a new study published Monday, March 22 in JAMA. If these results explain why children are less affected by severe forms of covid-19, the origin of the over-production of their antibodies remains mysterious, especially since children are normally more sensitive to viruses than adults (gastro- enteritis, nasopharyngitis, etc.).
“A similar seroprevalence in children and adults”
Since the start of the health crisis, children have very rarely developed serious forms of Covid-19. To understand why, researchers analyzed the results of 31,426 serological tests (measuring the presence of antibodies in the blood) from children and adults*. They focused on the positives, therefore indicating past Covid-19 infection.
Assessment: “Immunoglobin G levels were found to vary in different age groups, despite similar seroprevalence in children and adults,” write the researchers. The median level of IgG antibodies was found to be twice as high in children between 1 and 10 years old than in adolescents (11 to 18 years old), who themselves had a level twice as high as young adults ( 19 to 24 years old).
“Age-targeted strategies for disease screening and management”
“Our results suggest that the differences in clinical manifestations of Covid-19 in pediatric patients compared to those in adult patients may in part be due to an age-related immune response”deduce the authors. “Our data could partly explain the overall lower level of symptoms and severe cases of the disease in infected children,” they add. They conclude: “Age-targeted strategies for disease screening and management, as well as for vaccine development, may be warranted.”
*Data was collected at a New York City hospital from April 9 through August 31, 2020.
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