Why does the H5N1 virus quickly kill young, healthy people?

According to a study, published in Respiratory Research, a Hong Kong-based virus expert, they explain why the avian flu virus often kills young, healthy people: they create the "storm" in the human immune system.

The paradox is that the more healthy, the younger, the stronger the reaction, the easier it can lead to unbalance causing serious health consequences.

Scientist Michael Chan and colleagues searched for concentrations of cytokines and chemokines in lung cells after being attacked by the H5N1 virus, resulting in a 10-fold increase in the density of these proteins. with the attack of the common flu virus (H1N1).

Scientists say it is "overdose" in this defense system that leads to death. When the H5N1 virus attacks the human body, it causes the cytokines and chemokines, messengers of the immune system, to be busy regulating the operation of this system. But too much protein activation has led to an imbalance in the immune system.

TRAN DUC THANH (Science Daily)