Deadly immune 'storm' caused by emergent flu infections

[safeinOhio]

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/02/140227142250.htm

This little-understood phenomenon is thought to occur in at least several types of infections and autoimmune conditions, but it appears to be particularly relevant in outbreaks of new flu variants. Cytokine storm is now seen as a likely major cause of mortality in the 1918-20 "Spanish flu" -- which killed more than 50 million people worldwide -- and the H1N1 "swine flu" and H5N1 "bird flu" of recent years. In these epidemics, the patients most likely to die were relatively young adults with apparently strong immune reactions to the infection -- whereas ordinary seasonal flu epidemics disproportionately affect the very young and the elderly.

[safeinOhio]

1. 30 to 40 year olds and

the more healthy and stronger your immune system, the more likely you will die quickly. It is an autoimmune reaction.

[Igel]

2. And while that's interesting, there's this.

https://www.businessinsider.com/most-us-coronavirus-deaths-ages-65-older-cdc-report-2020-3

The risk for serious disease and death from COVID-19 is higher in older age groups," the report said — that's similar to trends in China and South Korea.

That puts 20% from 1-64, with the group immediately below age 65 having higher mortality rates than those younger.

Hospitalizations are lower for the under 60-crowd, too, so that the over-60 account for 2/3 hospitalizations even though they're much less than 1/2 the population.

Versus "a major cause" and "the patients most likely to die were relatively young adults." It may be the major cause for a given group, but that group is in the bottom 10% when it comes to numbers for deaths, and in the bottom 20 when it comes to hospitalizations.

[Laelth]

3. k&r for exposure.

There's hope for an anti-cytokine storm drug (an immune system suppressant) according to the OP. That's good news.

More about the Cytokine Storm here: https://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1002&pid=13100840

-Laelth