Age-Related Mitochondrial Dysfunction as a Key Factor in COVID-19 Disease

The Scientific Committee would like to share this excellent article written by Guillermo López-Lluch and al. on Age-Related Mitochondrial Dysfunction as a Key Factor in COVID-19 Disease. This article will be presented in Targeting Mitochondria Congress 2021.

The Scope is that Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a complex respiratory and thrombogenic disease caused by a new strain of coronavirus known as Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome-Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Many of the patients infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic or show low intensity symptoms. However, around 20% of the patients, mainly elderly people, manifest severe symptoms and high mortality ratio. COVID-19 predominant symptoms are high fever, intense cough, pneumonia and myalgia, mainly leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Diarrhea and nausea can precede fever or respiratory symptoms. These symptoms can be aggravated in senior patients aged more than 70 years.

To conclude, we postulate here that the maintenance of mitochondrial health through healthy life habits, pharmacological compounds o dietary supplements able to improve mitochondrial activity, dynamics and turnover would reduce the levels of inflammatory cytokines and the severity of COVID-19 and other respiratory diseases such as seasonal flu. These and other “geroprotective” treatments must be used to treat or prevent COVID-19. Interventions and compounds able to improve mitochondrial health in the elderly would reduce or even eliminate the cytokine storm induced by SARS-CoV-2 infection and, therefore, reduce the grade of ARDS associated with COVID-19.

Article link: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7648491/

Targeting Mitochondria 2021 Congress
October 27-29, 2021
Berlin, Germany & Virtual Congress
www.targeting-mitochondria.com