Inflammation, Twindemic, and a Bit of Good News
The high cost of overreactive immune systems, why you *absolutely* need a plan to get a flu shot in the autumn, and lights at the end of the tunnel.
Welcome back, me. Two weeks is a long, long time and we’ve got lots to cover.
Monumento a Don Quijote de la Mancha, photo by Banfield, 2009.
Targeting Inflammation
We talk a lot about inflammation in times of Covid-19, because as often as not, what kills patients is their bodies overreacting to the pathogen. It’s also what creates this bizarre Kawasaki-like syndrome in kids after they are infected.
Inflammation is your immune system responding exaggeratedly to, or even straight-up imagining, threats — think Don Quijote against windmills. It happens more today, after decades of obsessing over cleanliness, failing to regularly expose ourselves and our kids to allergens and dirt from a young age. Constant stress is also a major factor. Other conditions can create low-grade chronic inflammation, such as obesity, which is why it is considered a risk factor in men during this pandemic:
Obesity causes restricted breathing, making it more difficult to clear pneumonia and other respiratory infections. Fat is biologically active and a source of pro-inflammatory chemicals, promoting a state of chronic inflammation in the body even before Covid-19 sets in.
They’re also concerned that obesity may make vaccines less effective, which could be catastrophic in a country where 107 million people are obese:
While the exact biological mechanisms are still being investigated, chronic inflammation seems to interfere with the immune response to vaccines, possibly subjecting obese people to preventable illnesses even after vaccination.
Even if it doesn’t kill you, inflammation can make you miserable. Researchers are slowly establishing a causal relationship with mental health:
Inflammation seems to directly cause mental health issues, while at the same time, stress and mental health issues themselves provoke inflammation—creating a dangerous feedback loop.
The good news is that inflammation can be managed.
How to use this: get close to agents that can modulate your immune response. Two weeks ago I mentioned vitamin D as a contender. Meanwhile, dirt contains a bacterium that acts in a similar way, Mycobacterium vaccae. That means head out into nature and let your kids shove their dirt-filled nails into their mouths. Acquire a tent and enjoy the last days of summer. Also, remember the mental health edition from July 24? Cultivate a social life, especially whilst it’s still warm out and you can do so safely outside, at a distance. Seek professional help if you need it. Another thing that helps manage stress is exercise. Doesn’t have to be intense, just get out for a walk if you can.
Get. Your. Flu. Shot.
As experts brace for a new peak of Covid-19 in the autumn and winter, they’re also anxious about the oncoming flu season. Imagine all the drain on resources the pandemic caused last spring and add to this the damages of the flu: what you get is a perfect storm. The threat is so serious the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which buy 500,000 doses of the flu vaccine for uninsured adults on a normal year, have acquired this year nearly 10 million of them. CDC Director Robert Redfield:
“Some people don't realize. In the last 10 years, 360,000 people died in this country from flu. Flu is a major cause of death. We have a biological countermeasure and a vaccine, and we do have treatment. And this is the year I'm asking people to really think deep down about getting the flu vaccine.”
How to use this: no ifs, no buts, wherever you are, however old you are, get a vaccine against influenza (grippe, gripa). Do NOT contribute to overloading your local hospital system. Also? Encourage every single person around you to get theirs (this week I wagged my finger at a 78-year-old neighbour who bragged she’d never had a flu shot in her life). Parents: children can be vaccinated against the flu as early as six months old (the first time, they typically need two shots at a one-month interval). Talk to your doctors and nurses. Just do it.
Very Pleased to Inform You That…
1. Our cells are fighting this thing
Antibodies! B-cells! T-cells! A series of new studies have shown that our bodies’ defences are reading up on this novel coronavirus, which suggests they’re learning how to fight it, even after a mild bout of Covid-19. There’s no clear evidence that people are getting reinfected, most likely because our immune systems are able to remember the virus and to mobilise against it. We don’t know how long this protection lasts yet, but it’s a positive sign:
“These findings demonstrate that mild COVID-19 elicits memory lymphocytes that persist and display functional hallmarks associated with antiviral protective immunity.”
Which is just science-speak for “things are working the way they’re supposed to.” This gives us hope for either herd immunity or the efficacy of a vaccine, whichever comes first. Let’s hope it’s the latter.
How to use this: you know what, just enjoy the reassurance for a second.
2. Virus… grabber?
That’s what a team at UCSF have come up with. It’s a molecule you could spray up your nose to “nab” the spikes of the coronavirus so as to stop them from latching onto your lung cells — imagine baby-proofing a spear with a latex ball on its point. They call these “AeroNabs.” It’s cheap, it’s straightforward to produce, and its makers say it could potentially be available over the counter. Yeah, it’s a little weird, I’m just going to let you watch it:
How to use this: again, take a load off! Just bask in the warm glow of human ingenuity for a moment.
Aspirational Public Service Announcement
This whole lockdown situation is maddening, so we went camping last week. It was glorious (and yes, we got dirt exposure and synthesised some serious vitamin D). Doesn’t mean I can stop dreaming about taking off, though. So I wrote up two gear guides for fun. One for travelling and for camping à la French.