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We have known for a long time that our immunity depends on the composition of intestinal bacteria. Our intestinal microbiota also affects how we respond to coronavirus infection. Subsequent studies confirm this relationship.
- Our microbiome influences the course of COVID-19 – scientists confirm this relationship
- People with impaired microbiota are at risk of more severe symptoms of the coronavirus
- The so-called long COVID-19
- You can find more about the coronavirus epidemic on the TvoiLokony home page
The gut microbiome influences the symptoms of COVID-19
We understand better and better how our gut microbiome – the microorganisms that inhabit the gut – affects our immunity. Recent studies also show that the condition of our intestines depends on how our body deals with the coronavirus
Researchers at the Chinese University of Hong Kong have found that people hospitalized for COVID-19 have a different composition of gut bacteria than healthy people. Researchers examined a stool sample from 100 patients hospitalized for COVID-19 infection and compared it with 78 samples taken from people prior to the outbreak of the pandemic. Studies have shown that the microbiome of sick and healthy people differs significantly.
The composition of the microbiota of people with COVID-19 contained much less bacteria responsible for immunity, such as Bifidobacterium adolescentis, Faecalibacterium prausnitzii or Eubacterium rectale. In contrast, the levels of the microorganisms known as Ruminococcus gnavus, Ruminococcus torques and Bacteroides dorei were elevated.
Disturbances in the composition of the intestines varied depending on the severity of the disease and lasted up to a month after recovery. According to scientists, this may explain why some people may be exposed to the so-called long COVID-19, i.e. symptoms of infection, such as fatigue, joint pains, which persist for a long time after the disease
The authors of the study noted, however, that it is impossible to give an unambiguous answer to the question of whether the disturbances in the composition of intestinal bacteria are the result of coronavirus only, or whether they can be caused by, for example, smoking cigarettes.
The condition of our microbiome and COVID-19 infection
Scientists from the University of Korea, also studying the composition of the intestines in people infected with COVID-19, came to similar conclusions. Research team member Dr. Heenam Stanley Kim believes there is solid evidence that the gut microbiome plays a major role in the immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection. The lower levels of the microbes make it easier for the coronavirus to reach the digestive tract and internal organs, and receptors called ACE2, found in the gut, kidneys, lungs and heart, make it easier for the virus to enter cells.
— There appears to be a strong association between an altered microbiome and severe COVID-19 symptoms – explains Dr. Kim, adding that our microbiome is very sensitive and depends on our health, diet and the quality of the environment in which we live.
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People struggling with high blood pressure, obesity or diabetes have a disturbed microbiome. The intestinal immunity also decreases with age. Therefore, the COVID-19-related mortality rate among the elderly is much higher.
“US data has shown that people aged 85 and over with poorly functioning microbiomes are 630 times more likely to die than those aged 18 to 29,” says Dr. Kim.
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