- Membership & Community
-
Publications & News
- Physiology Journals
-
Newsroom
-
The Physiologist Magazine
- 2019
- 2020
- 2021
- 2022
- 2023
- 2024
- In Depth
-
Mentoring Forum
- Net Worth
- Take Care
- You … In Charge
- Work. It. Out.
- Working Off-site
- Location, Location, Location?
- Student Support
- Progressing to Postdoc
- Relationship Building
- Let’s Get It Started
- What Do We Value?
- It’s a Postdoc Life
- Coronavirus Contributions
- Creative Communications
- Selection Process
- Conference Connections
- Postdoc Appreciation
- Research Rewards
- Focus on Teaching
- Industry Insights
- Balance Beam
- Post Postdoc
- If You Build It
- Talk It Through
- Forward Bound
- I’ve Earned My PhD. Now What?
- University Life
- Tips for Trainees
- Time Travel
- Prepare Now for the Career You Want
- Landing a Postdoctoral Researcher Position
- Becoming a Physician-Scientist
- Policy IQ
- Publish with Polish
- Under the Microscope
- Mentoring Q&A
- Evolution
- Baseline by Scott Steen, CAE, FASAE
- Find Us on Social Media
-
The Physiologist Magazine
-
Professional Development
-
Meetings & Events
-
American Physiology Summit
- #APS2024 Overview
- Abstracts
- Awards at the Summit
- Award Lectures
- Career Networking Lunch Form
- Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Industry Partners
- Mobile App
- NIH and NSF Program Officer Panel Discussion Form
- Physical Poster Information
- PhysioHub
- Pre-Summit Events
- Registration
- Section & Group Banquet Tickets
- Social Events
- Speaker Audiovisual Instructions
- Summit FAQs
- Summit Newsroom
- Summit Store
- Travel & Transportation
- Undergraduate Program Book
- Liability Waiver
- Industry Partners
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Orientation Agenda
- Martin Frank Diversity Travel Award Networking Luncheon Agenda
- Women in Physiology Networking Event Agenda
-
2023
- APS 2023 Call for Proposals
- Shocklogic Test
- Team 2023 Task Force
- Shaping the Summit
- Schedule at a Glance
- Pre-Summit Events
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop Registration
- Section & Groups Banquet Tickets
- Summit Store
- Pre-Summit Center for Physiology Education Workshop
- Press Registration
- Meet the Organizers
- Keynote Speaker—Terrie Williams, PhD
- Keynote Speaker—David Julius, PhD
- Industry Workshop Information
- Important Dates and Deadlines
- Hotel Information
- Game Changers
- Distinguished Lecturers
- Building APS 2023
- Awards at the Summit
- 2023 Summit Information
- American Physiology Summit Program
- 2023 Summit Newsroom
- 2024
- Scientific Integrity Policy
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise Conference
- Webinars
- Related Meetings
- Future APS Conferences
-
Past APS Conferences
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning
- Integrative Physiology of Exercise
- Seventeenth International Conference on Endothelin (ET-17)
- New Trends in Sex and Gender Medicine
- APS Institute on Teaching and Learning (2022)
- Control of Renal Function in Health and Disease Conference
- Comparative Physiology: From Organisms to Omics in an Uncertain World
- Conference Policies
-
American Physiology Summit
- Awards
-
Career & Professional Development
-
Career Gateway
-
Resources
- Transcript—Leading Through Conflict and Difficult Conversations
- Transcript—Managing Conflict with Colleagues
- Transcript—Leading a Team Through Conflict
- Transcript—Providing Difficult Feedback
- Transcript—Team Dynamics and Culture Primer
- Transcript—Building a Team
- Transcript—Leading a Team Assigned to You
- Transcript—Creating a Team Culture
-
Resources
- Career Navigator
- Center for Physiology Education
- Job Board
- Mentoring
- APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
-
Career Gateway
-
Meetings & Events
-
Advocacy & Resources
- Policy Areas
-
Resources
- Researcher Resources
- Educator Resources
- Trainee Resources
- Student Resources
-
APS Graduate Physiology & Biomedical Science Catalog
- Des Moines University
- East Tennessee State University
- George Washington University
- Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences—Biomedical Engineering & Physiology
- Michigan State University
- New York Medical College
- Nova Southeastern University
- Pennsylvania State University
- Texas A&M University
- Texas A&M University Medical Physiology
- Stony Brook University
- The University of Iowa
- University of Alabama at Birmingham
- University at Buffalo
- University of Colorado
- University of Michigan
- University of Minnesota
- University of Missouri-Biomedical Sciences
- University of Nebraska Medical Center
- University of Oregon
- University of South Carolina School of Medicine
- University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC)
- University of Texas Health Science Center
- Virginia Commonwealth University
- Wayne State University
- Wake Forest University
- Physiology Department Catalog Submission Form
- Women's Health Research Initiative
- Career Gateway
- Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
- Advocacy
- About APS
Research highlights differences in viral entry into body and immune system in children and adults
Rockville, Md. (June 25, 2020)—A new perspective piece suggests differences in lung physiology and immune function as possible reasons why children are often spared from severe illness associated with SARS-CoV-2, the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19. The article is published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
The percentage of children under the age of 18 infected with SARS-CoV-2 has been considerably lower than expected compared to adults. Reports from China and Italy have shown that children who become infected with the virus show symptoms less often than adults and are less likely to develop respiratory symptoms such as a cough or shortness of breath when they are symptomatic. In most cases, the infected under-18 population does not become as severely ill as can happen among their older counterparts. The newly identified multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C) associated with COVID-19, though serious, is believed to affect only about 1% of young people exposed to SARS-CoV-2.
“These profoundly decreased rates of symptomatic infection, hospitalization and death are well beyond statistical significance, require further examination and may hold the key to identifying therapeutic agents,” the authors wrote.
The way that SARS-CoV-2 virus enters the body and the state of the immune system itself are thought to be two primary differences in how children and adults become infected with coronavirus.
SARS-CoV-2 enters the body by binding to angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE2), which is attached to the outer surface of cells in the lungs, arteries, heart and other organs. Studies have found that expression of ACE2 in the lungs increases with age. Infants and very young children have very low ACE2 expression, and older children have lower expression than adults. Research suggests that children may be protected from the serious respiratory components of COVID-19—including acute respiratory distress syndrome—due to their reduced ACE2 expression.
The immune system also plays a role in infection. Imbalance between mediators that increase versus suppress the inflammatory response plays a critical role in the clinical manifestations of this disease. Heightened immune response is often a factor in the inflammatory “cytokine storm” phase of COVID-19, in which the body attacks itself. Studies have shown that older mice had lower levels of the anti-inflammatory substances IL-10 and IL-13 and higher levels of pro-inflammatory chemicals in the lungs than younger animals. CD4 T-cells, which play an important role in controlling viral replication and disease severity, are markedly decreased in adults with severe COVID-19. In addition, lung tissue in children naturally has a higher concentration of regulator T-cells, which may protect against severe COVID-19 by suppressing the immune response that, in adults, may lead to uncontrolled inflammation.
“Selective, age-associated mortality render[s] COVID-19 a unique, infectious disease. Insights into age-related variability in pathophysiological processes may offer critical observations, revealing focused paths of therapeutic investigation. Multidisciplinary collaboration between physicians and scientists, engaged in both pediatric and adult pursuits, holds significant promise and should be encouraged,” the authors wrote.
Read the full article, “Understanding the age divide in COVID-19: Why are children overwhelmingly spared?,” published ahead of print in the American Journal of Physiology-Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology.
NOTE TO JOURNALISTS: To schedule an interview with a member of the research team, please contact the APS Communications Office or call 301.634.7314. Find more research highlights in our News Room.
Physiology is the study of how molecules, cells, tissues and organs function in health and disease.Established in 1887, the American Physiological Society (APS) was the first U.S. society in the biomedical sciences field. The Society represents 9,000 members and publishes 16 peer-reviewed journals with a worldwide readership.
Related Content
- Air Pollution Affects the Body in Various Ways during Exercise
- Sweat Rate Calculator Blocks Heat Illness, Boosts Athletic Performance
- Short On Time? A 15-minute Workout May Help Boost Your Immune System
- Removing Bile Acid Receptor in Gut Blocks Intestinal Inflammation
- COVID-19 Resources Archive
- New American Physiological Society Leaders Take Office
- Find Us on Social Media
Contact Us
For questions, comments or to share your story ideas, email us.