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COVID-19 in Elderly Adults: Clinical Features, Molecular Mechanisms, and Proposed Strategies

Ya Yang, Yalei Zhao, Fen Zhang

  • 1State Key Laboratory for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, National Clinical Research Center for Infectious Diseases, Collaborative Innovation Center for Diagnosis and Treatment of Infectious Diseases, The First Affiliated Hospital, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou, China.

Aging and Disease
|December 3, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Elderly individuals face higher risks from COVID-19 due to increased susceptibility and mortality. This review examines clinical features and molecular mechanisms to guide prevention and treatment strategies for older adults during the pandemic.

Area of Science:

  • Gerontology
  • Infectious Diseases
  • Molecular Biology

Background:

  • Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by SARS-CoV-2, poses a global health challenge.
  • Elderly populations exhibit heightened susceptibility and mortality rates from COVID-19, particularly those with age-related comorbidities.
  • These factors present significant obstacles to effective pandemic prevention and control strategies.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in elderly patients.
  • To explore the molecular mechanisms underlying increased COVID-19 severity in older adults.
  • To analyze the applicability of novel preventive and therapeutic strategies for elderly populations.

Main Methods:

  • Literature review focusing on clinical features of COVID-19 in the elderly.
  • Exploration of molecular pathways implicated in age-related COVID-19 susceptibility.
  • Analysis of the feasibility of current and emerging interventions for older patients.

Main Results:

  • Elderly COVID-19 patients present distinct clinical manifestations and complications.
  • Specific molecular mechanisms contribute to the vulnerability of older adults to SARS-CoV-2 infection and severe disease.
  • The efficacy of certain novel strategies requires further validation in the elderly population.

Conclusions:

  • Understanding the unique aspects of COVID-19 in the elderly is crucial for targeted interventions.
  • Molecular insights can inform the development of age-specific preventive and therapeutic approaches.
  • Feasibility assessments are essential to ensure the successful implementation of new strategies for protecting older adults.

Keywords:
COVID-19clinical featureelderlymolecular mechanismstrategy

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