(STUDY FINDS) — LOS ANGELES — A new research study out of the University of Southern California reveals how an irregular immune response to the COVID-19 infection can lead to some of the more severe symptoms seen in coronavirus patients.
Researchers used mathematical modeling to simulate the immune response to a coronavirus infection. They found that suppressing the immune system during the early stages of the infection might help patients avoid the severe symptoms.
When a person is infected with a virus the body deploys its first line of defense — the innate immune response. This stage of defense targets the virus and any cells damaged by the virus and kills off as much as it can. If there is any virus remaining after a few days the body calls on its adaptive immune response. This stage of defense uses special types of cells — T cells and B cells — to target and kill the rest of the virus and infected cells.
