Why is COVID-19 less severe in children? A review of the proposed mechanisms underlying the age-related difference in severity of SARS-CoV-2 infections
Review Arch Dis Child. 2020 Dec 1; doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-320338
Petra Zimmermann 1 2 3, Nigel Curtis 3 4 5
Items in both categories infant-Child and Virus are listed here:
- Pfizer COVID vaccinations resulted in altering immune systems (increased IgG4 ) – Aug 2024
- FDA study of 4 million children found 2 COVID-19 vaccination red flags, but continue to push boosters – May 2024
- Children in hospital: those with COVID had lower Vitamin D, Iron, etc. – April 2024
- US has the most vaccinations before age 1 and the most deaths - March 2024
- 18,000 schoolchildren in Canada to be suspended for not being vaccinated - Feb 2024
- COVID Vaccinated Children 1.25 X More Likely to Be Hospitalized for Respiratory Illness - CDC Jan 2024
- France has injected 200,000 infants with RSV vaccine, based on no long-term data - Here we go again - Dec 2023
- Brazil mandates COVID-19 vaccine for children - Nov 2023
- Doctors in NY cannot opt out of COVID boosters for children - Oct 2023
- Infants getting lots of vaccinations are 2X more likely to die - July 2023
- COVID, Long-COVID and Vitamin D in children - Review April 2023
- Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome of COVID in Children 3X more likely if low Vitamin D – Feb 2023
- PICU layoffs due to pandemic lulls, but children are now getting 3 years of viral infection all at once – Oct 2022
- COVID 5.5 X more likely to be severe if low Vitamin D (children in this case) – Oct 2022
- Tripledemic: Flu, COVID, and RSV (all fought by Vitamin D) - Oct 2022
- CDC advised to recommended annual COVID vaccination of all children over 6 months old – Oct 20, 2022
- 6X increase in excess deaths of children since vaccinations were started - Oct 2022
- Early puberty during pandemic (low vitamin D) - several studies
- COVID kids were more likely to have a poor VDR (4.3 X), than low Vitamin D (2.6 X) – Sept 2022
- Recent increases in pediatric endocrine problems may be decreased by Vitamin D – Aug 2022
- COVID children helped by Vitamin D, trial terminated: unethical to not give Vitamin D to all: – RCT July 2022
- Increase in children with low vitamin D and with tibia fractures during COVID – June 2022
- 28,859 deaths and 238,412 serious injuries due to vaccines, how many more when add ages 0.5 - 5 – June 2022
- Pandemic Vitamin D levels dropped by 3.3 ng (perhaps less D, more health problems) – May 2022
- Problems after childhood vaccinations - many studies
- FDA approved 5-11 vaccine booster (based tiny unpublished study without asking advisory panel) May 2022
- Remdesivir approved to treat COVID in Infants, yet Vitamin D is 3000 X more cost effective and widely used - April 2022
- Risk factors for severe COVID in children are all related to low vitamin D (same as adults) - April 2022
- Hepatitis normally rare in children: huge increase after lockdown (Adenovirus, low Vitamin D) - April 2022
- Children with higher Vitamin D had less severe COVID (no surprise) – April 2022
- Children have less severe COVID, but just as much long-haul as adults - April 2022
- Croup (due to viruses) has surged with Omicron - March 2022
- COVID children with multisystem inflammatory syndrome have less than 10 ng of vitamin D – March 2022
- 16,000 Physicians and Scientists Agree Kids Shouldn’t Get COVID Vaccine - Dec 15, 2021
- Younger are much less likely to die of COVID than elderly (posters) - Nov 2021
- COVID Vaccination trial for kids: 11 red flags - Oct 25, 2021
- Children and COVID - many studies
- 8 of 10 pediatric COVID-19 infections were Vitamin D deficient (49 patients) – May 2021
- Severe pediatric COVID 5.5 more likely if low vitamin D (review of 6 studies) -July 2021
- Sudden Infant Deaths (SIDS) soon after vaccination - several studies
- Hospitalized children with COVID-19 and inflammation had lower vitamin D – March 2021
- Severe childhood COVID-19 associated with Vitamin D deficiency (hospital in Turkey) – March 2021
- Vitamin D might reduce Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in children – March 2021
- 87 percent of children with COVID–19 had low vitamin D (small study) – Feb 2021
- Vaccinations resulted in increased office visits for children 16 months later - Nov 2020
- 13 possible reasons why COVID-19 is less severe in children – Dec 1, 2020
- Vitamin D associated with reduced COVID-19 risks in children - Grassroots Nov 2020
- Children with low vitamin D far more likely to hospitalized with COVID-19 – Oct 2020
- Respiratory viral infection (RSV) and low vitamin D - many studies
- Increased weight in children 8X more likely for each unit increase in adenovirus (if ignore Vitamin D) – Nov 2019
COVID-19 treated by Vitamin D - studies, reports, videos
As of March 31, 2024, the VitaminDWiki COVID page had: trial results, meta-analyses and reviews, Mortality studies see related: Governments, HealthProblems, Hospitals, Dark Skins, All 26 COVID risk factors are associated with low Vit D, Fight COVID-19 with 50K Vit D weekly Vaccines Take lots of Vitamin D at first signs of COVID 166 COVID Clinical Trials using Vitamin D (Aug 2023) Prevent a COVID death: 9 dollars of Vitamin D or 900,000 dollars of vaccine - Aug 2023
5 most-recently changed Virus entries
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In contrast to other respiratory viruses, children have less severe symptoms when infected with the novel severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). In this review, we discuss proposed hypotheses for the age-related difference in severity of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).Factors proposed to explain the difference in severity of COVID-19 in children and adults include those that put adults at higher risk and those that protect children.
The former include:
- (1) age-related increase in endothelial damage and changes in clotting function;
- (2) higher density, increased affinity and different distribution of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 receptors and transmembrane serine protease 2;
- (3) pre-existing coronavirus antibodies (including antibody-dependent enhancement) and T cells;
- (4) immunosenescence and inflammaging, including the effects of chronic cytomegalovirus infection;
- (5) a higher prevalence of comorbidities associated with severe COVID-19 and
- (6) lower levels of vitamin D.
Factors that might protect children include:
- (1) differences in innate and adaptive immunity;
- (2) more frequent recurrent and concurrent infections;
- (3) pre-existing immunity to coronaviruses;
- (4) differences in microbiota;
- (5) higher levels of melatonin;
- (6) protective off-target effects of live vaccines and
- (7) lower intensity of exposure to SARS-CoV-2.
Lower levels of vitamin D (clipped frm PDF)
Vitamin D has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties,114 and vitamin D deficiency has been associated with an increased risk for the development of respiratory tract infections.115 Mechanisms by which vitamin D might protect against respiratory viruses include increasing viral killing, reducing synthesis of pro-inflammatory cytokines and protecting the integrity of tight junctions thereby preventing infiltration of immune cells into lungs.116
The overlap between risk factors for severe COVID-19 and vitamin D deficiency, including obesity,117 chronic kidney disease118 and black or Asian origin,119 suggests that vitamin D supplementation may play a role in prophylaxis or treatment of COVID-19.114 In many countries, vitamin D is routinely supplemented in infants younger than 1 year of age and in some countries even up to the age of 3 years. Furthermore, vitamin D levels are lower in older age groups, especially in men, in whom supplementation is less frequent.120 Several studies report a negative correlation between estimates of average vitamin D levels in the population and the incidence and mortality from COVID-19.121-123 One study found lower vitamin D levels in SARS-CoV-2-positive individuals compared with SARS-CoV- 2-negative individuals, even after stratifying for age over 70 years.124 Another study found lower vitamin D levels in patients with COVID-19 compared with sex-matched, age-matched and season-matched controls.125 Furthermore, the level of vitamin D was negatively correlated with the severity of radiological findings. Two other studies also found a correlation between low vitamin D levels and COVID-19 severity and mortality.126 127
In vitro studies show that calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, has antiviral activity against SARS-CoV-2.128 A further important finding from a study in rats shows that vitamin D alleviates lipopolysaccharide– reduced acute lung injury via the renin-angiotensin system (RAS),129 which is important in the pathogenesis of COVID-19, in which the degree of overactivation of the RAS is associated with poorer prognosis. Low vitamin D levels lead to higher RAS activity and higher angiotensin II concentrations.130