The doctors and geneticists discovered a defect in a gene in two brothers, one of whom became seriously ill and the other even died. Not much later they found exactly the same with two other brothers, both younger than 35 years old and both also seriously ill with the coronavirus.
Genetic explanation
Because they were brothers, geneticists searched for a possible genetic explanation and soon discovered something.
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It concerns the gene TLR7, which plays an important role in activating the immune system. In all four, something was wrong, so that the immune system did not identify the coronavirus. “It seems as if the virus can just go ahead because the immune system is not notified that the virus has invaded,” said geneticist Alexander Hoischen.
Treatment options
The discovery could have significant implications for treatment, and not just for young patients. The researchers suspect that administering interferon, a natural protein that the human immune system normally produces, may help. That is currently being investigated.
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