It has been just revealed the fact that catching a cold could prevent you from getting a severe case of COVID-19. Here are more details about this below.
Case of common cold could prevent a more severe COVID-19
It has been a mystery for scientists as to why some individuals appear to have immunity to COVID-19, even after being exposed to the virus. However, recent studies suggest that there is a fascinating explanation: people who have had previous encounters with the common cold may be protected.
One of the studies conducted examined whether pre-existing antibodies from common cold viruses could offer protection against COVID-19.
Blood samples from 94 hospitalized patients with varying respiratory failure severity were analyzed, of which 74 tested positive for COVID-19.
The remaining 20 patients did not have the infection. The research team measured the levels of antibodies from prior common cold coronavirus infections. Additionally, the same analysis was performed on non-COVID patients as controls.
Recent studies have found a positive correlation between levels of antibodies to the common cold and antibodies specific to COVID-19.
The control group showed higher antibody levels against the common cold, which suggests that they could potentially have a protective effect against the severity of COVID-19.
The idea of “original antigenic sin” was first introduced in the 1960s. It describes how initial exposure to flu can shape immunity against later, related strains.
Research has since shown that these initial imprints can also affect susceptibility to other infections.
Dr. Thomas Gut, an internal medicine doctor at the Post-COVID Recovery Center at Staten Island University Hospital, believes that this phenomenon may also apply to COVID-19 and the common cold.
“It’s been up for debate for quite some time whether preexisting colds … offer a protective effect for being exposed to COVID or whether it somehow makes it higher-risk when they’re exposed to COVID,” he said.
These latest findings suggest that any prior corona-type virus—the common cold or COVID—is unlikely to heighten susceptibility, Dr. Gut added.
There is currently a significant debate around the impact of endemic common colds on susceptibility to severe COVID outcomes, based on a review of recent studies.
However, some experts speculate that childhood exposure to common colds may partially explain Africa’s relatively milder pandemic impact, through cross-protection.
A study conducted in Lagos, Nigeria in 2023 and published in the Journal of Clinical Virology Plus, analyzed the immune responses of two groups to COVID-19: healthcare workers and the general population across five different areas. The study found “robust” immune responses to the virus in both groups.
