This is a post my friend, a fellow nurse recently wrote that breaks down the immune response and why it takes time to begin showing symptoms.
If I wasnt pursuing psychiatry, I probably would go into infectious disease. I find it absolutely fascinating. Its probably because my professor I had in my graduate pathology course did a really good job of teaching us about it.
Anyways, Ive been relatively quiet on COVID-19. Mostly, because I dont want to add to the hysteria, but I cant stand the misinformation people are posting, and I need to chime in. A virus is NOT a chronic disease. Comparing a chronic disease to an acute virus is not only dumb but adds to the misunderstanding. So please stop. Ive found working in my profession that if I take a little bit of time to educate my patients about what is going on, then they seem to not only trust me more which allows me to do my job more effectively but also decreases their anxiety about the issue. Lets take a look at the process of a virus and immunity and understand how it all works. Lets all learn together so we can all calm down.
The virus enters the cell→ releases its viral DNA inside cell→ replicates inside the cell→ Infected cell will present an antigen on its own→ Triggers Immune response→ Triggers Th cell→ Travels to lymph nodes to find the correct T Cell clone→ once found increased proliferation of the T Cell→ lymphadenopathy (not as much as bacterial) → T-Cell becomes Cytotoxic T Cell→Cytotoxic T Cell will trigger apoptosis of virally infected cell→ macrophages will clean up the mess and promote healing.
Adaptive immunity works alongside inflammation, in that it recognizes foreign material, however, it is slower than innate immunity, but is more specific and has memory. This involves alerting antibodies as well as T and B cells depending if it is a virus, bacteria, or cancer. This is the process of Primary and Secondary Immune responses. The primary response has a lag time for B-Cell differentiation to occur. After 5-7 days IgM antibody for a specific antigen is detected. These days are probably when you feel the worst (fever, chills, body aches). But soon after that you usually start feeling a little better. Unless of course its something more serious. It might take a little longer.
The secondary immune response is more rapid where large amounts of antibodies are produced. This is because of memory cells that do not have to differentiate (a reason why vaccines are so important). IgM is also produced, but IgG is in significantly larger numbers. Most of us do not have a memory for COVID-19 so chances are we will have to go through the Primary Immune Response. Sorry guys.
Why I am concerned and why I am not concerned:
Now that we understand how these processes work I can tell you why I am concerned. Not concerned for me, but for my kids (mostly Sophie). We have a thymus gland. This gland is in overdrive during the first year of life. Its primary role is LITERALLY to make our adaptive immunity. These cells and antibodies are what is used to fight off serious infections. Once that year is up those cells and antibodies will disburse to our spleen and lymph nodes to be used for future infections. Another reason why breastfeeding is so important during that first year of life. The passive immunity from mom to baby is literally their immune system until they are one year old. However, it is still an immature immune system because it doesnt have the volume of memory. Its why kids get sick so much more than adults. They have to go through the primary immune response every time they come in contact with a "bug." Whereas healthy adults skip right to the secondary immune response and barely ever have symptoms if any. Now that we understand that, we now know that we are dependent on our adaptive immune system to fight viruses. If you dont have one yet (babies) or are elderly or immunocompromised you are significantly more likely to have worse symptoms or even die because your body isnt equipped to fight off the virus, which can turn into other complications, such as pneumonia.
Now that we have a better understanding of this hopefully (at least my friends who can read this) can look past only how this affects them individually. There are vulnerable populations out there that matter too. So lets be smart and work together, ok? Sorry if that was a little long.
Mara Khan
If I wasnt pursuing psychiatry, I probably would go into infectious disease. I find it absolutely fascinating. Its probably because my professor I had in my graduate pathology course did a really good job of teaching us about it.
Anyways, Ive been relatively quiet on COVID-19. Mostly, because I dont want to add to the hysteria, but I cant stand the misinformation people are posting, and I need to chime in. A virus is NOT a chronic disease. Comparing a chronic disease to an acute virus is not only dumb but adds to the misunderstanding. So please stop. Ive found working in my profession that if I take a little bit of time to educate my patients about what is going on, then they seem to not only trust me more which allows me to do my job more effectively but also decreases their anxiety about the issue. Lets take a look at the process of a virus and immunity and understand how it all works. Lets all learn together so we can all calm down.
The virus enters the cell→ releases its viral DNA inside cell→ replicates inside the cell→ Infected cell will present an antigen on its own→ Triggers Immune response→ Triggers Th cell→ Travels to lymph nodes to find the correct T Cell clone→ once found increased proliferation of the T Cell→ lymphadenopathy (not as much as bacterial) → T-Cell becomes Cytotoxic T Cell→Cytotoxic T Cell will trigger apoptosis of virally infected cell→ macrophages will clean up the mess and promote healing.
Adaptive immunity works alongside inflammation, in that it recognizes foreign material, however, it is slower than innate immunity, but is more specific and has memory. This involves alerting antibodies as well as T and B cells depending if it is a virus, bacteria, or cancer. This is the process of Primary and Secondary Immune responses. The primary response has a lag time for B-Cell differentiation to occur. After 5-7 days IgM antibody for a specific antigen is detected. These days are probably when you feel the worst (fever, chills, body aches). But soon after that you usually start feeling a little better. Unless of course its something more serious. It might take a little longer.
The secondary immune response is more rapid where large amounts of antibodies are produced. This is because of memory cells that do not have to differentiate (a reason why vaccines are so important). IgM is also produced, but IgG is in significantly larger numbers. Most of us do not have a memory for COVID-19 so chances are we will have to go through the Primary Immune Response. Sorry guys.
Why I am concerned and why I am not concerned:
Now that we understand how these processes work I can tell you why I am concerned. Not concerned for me, but for my kids (mostly Sophie). We have a thymus gland. This gland is in overdrive during the first year of life. Its primary role is LITERALLY to make our adaptive immunity. These cells and antibodies are what is used to fight off serious infections. Once that year is up those cells and antibodies will disburse to our spleen and lymph nodes to be used for future infections. Another reason why breastfeeding is so important during that first year of life. The passive immunity from mom to baby is literally their immune system until they are one year old. However, it is still an immature immune system because it doesnt have the volume of memory. Its why kids get sick so much more than adults. They have to go through the primary immune response every time they come in contact with a "bug." Whereas healthy adults skip right to the secondary immune response and barely ever have symptoms if any. Now that we understand that, we now know that we are dependent on our adaptive immune system to fight viruses. If you dont have one yet (babies) or are elderly or immunocompromised you are significantly more likely to have worse symptoms or even die because your body isnt equipped to fight off the virus, which can turn into other complications, such as pneumonia.
Now that we have a better understanding of this hopefully (at least my friends who can read this) can look past only how this affects them individually. There are vulnerable populations out there that matter too. So lets be smart and work together, ok? Sorry if that was a little long.
Mara Khan
This is a post my friend, a fellow nurse recently wrote that breaks down the immune response and why it takes time to begin showing symptoms.
If I wasn't pursuing psychiatry, I probably would go into infectious disease. I find it absolutely fascinating. Its probably because my professor I had in my graduate pathology course did a really good job of teaching us about it.
Anyways, I've been relatively quiet on COVID-19. Mostly, because I don't want to add to the hysteria, but I can't stand the misinformation people are posting, and I need to chime in. A virus is NOT a chronic disease. Comparing a chronic disease to an acute virus is not only dumb but adds to the misunderstanding. So please stop. I've found working in my profession that if I take a little bit of time to educate my patients about what is going on, then they seem to not only trust me more which allows me to do my job more effectively but also decreases their anxiety about the issue. Let's take a look at the process of a virus and immunity and understand how it all works. Let's all learn together so we can all calm down. 🙂
The virus enters the cell→ releases its viral DNA inside cell→ replicates inside the cell→ Infected cell will present an antigen on its own→ Triggers Immune response→ Triggers Th cell→ Travels to lymph nodes to find the correct T Cell clone→ once found increased proliferation of the T Cell→ lymphadenopathy (not as much as bacterial) → T-Cell becomes Cytotoxic T Cell→Cytotoxic T Cell will trigger apoptosis of virally infected cell→ macrophages will clean up the mess and promote healing.
Adaptive immunity works alongside inflammation, in that it recognizes foreign material, however, it is slower than innate immunity, but is more specific and has memory. This involves alerting antibodies as well as T and B cells depending if it is a virus, bacteria, or cancer. This is the process of Primary and Secondary Immune responses. The primary response has a lag time for B-Cell differentiation to occur. After 5-7 days IgM antibody for a specific antigen is detected. These days are probably when you feel the worst (fever, chills, body aches). But soon after that you usually start feeling a little better. Unless of course its something more serious. It might take a little longer.
The secondary immune response is more rapid where large amounts of antibodies are produced. This is because of memory cells that do not have to differentiate (a reason why vaccines are so important). IgM is also produced, but IgG is in significantly larger numbers. Most of us do not have a memory for COVID-19 so chances are we will have to go through the Primary Immune Response. Sorry guys.
Why I am concerned and why I am not concerned:
Now that we understand how these processes work I can tell you why I am concerned. Not concerned for me, but for my kids (mostly Sophie). We have a thymus gland. This gland is in overdrive during the first year of life. Its primary role is LITERALLY to make our adaptive immunity. These cells and antibodies are what is used to fight off serious infections. Once that year is up those cells and antibodies will disburse to our spleen and lymph nodes to be used for future infections. Another reason why breastfeeding is so important during that first year of life. The passive immunity from mom to baby is literally their immune system until they are one year old. However, it is still an immature immune system because it doesn't have the volume of memory. Its why kids get sick so much more than adults. They have to go through the primary immune response every time they come in contact with a "bug." Whereas healthy adults skip right to the secondary immune response and barely ever have symptoms if any. Now that we understand that, we now know that we are dependent on our adaptive immune system to fight viruses. If you don't have one yet (babies) or are elderly or immunocompromised you are significantly more likely to have worse symptoms or even die because your body isn't equipped to fight off the virus, which can turn into other complications, such as pneumonia.
Now that we have a better understanding of this hopefully (at least my friends who can read this) can look past only how this affects them individually. There are vulnerable populations out there that matter too. So let's be smart and work together, ok? 🙂 Sorry if that was a little long.
Mara Khan
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