L'wave of frost expected in Italy in the next few hours, with a drop of up to 10-15 degrees by Sunday, worries geriatricians. There is “the risk of a backlash of the virus – they warn – greater in the older groups of the population and among those who have not followed an adequate period of convalescence after the resolution of acute flu symptoms”. It is therefore “fundamental not to let our guard down for a few more weeks, because the virus can strike unexpectedly”.
“Decreasing temperatures can influence the immune response triggered by the entry into the nose of bacteria and viruses”, says Francesco Landi, director of the Department of Aging Sciences – Agostino Gemelli University Polyclinic Foundation Irccs of Rome, past president of the Italian Society of Gerontology and geriatrics (Sigg). “The airways – he explains – are protected by the release into the mucus of billions of tiny fluid-filled sacs called extracellular vesicles, which surround and attack 'intruders' before they enter the body. However, a reduction of 5 is sufficient degrees of the internal temperature of the nasal mucous membranes to knock out and halve the first line of immune defenses that are implemented in the nose”.
The data – reports Sigg – emerged from a study recently published in the 'Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology' by researchers from Harvard Medical School and Northeastern University, in the USA, who verified that a 5 degree drop in tissue temperature inside the nose, largely dependent on the temperature of the inhaled external air, determines an attenuated immune response, with a 42% reduction in extracellular vesicles secreted by nasal cells when they perceive the presence of a pathogen. Another study published in the journal 'Open Forum of Infectious Diseases' of the American Society of Infectious Diseases, which monitored the trend of influenza in Japan from 2012 to 2021, confirmed a greater spread of the virus in the weeks in which the sudden changes in temperatures were more sudden.
Who are the people most at risk?
“The most exposed people – specifies Andrea Ungar, president of Sigg and professor of Geriatrics at the University of Florence – are above all those belonging to the older groups of the population, among whom the levels of vaccination coverage have remained far from the minimum desirable limits, and those who did not follow an adequate convalescence, not dedicating the right time to recover their strength after the virus. The rush to get back on track can compromise recovery – he warns – increasing the risk of relapses, as after the flu the respiratory system he is in a more fragile condition and therefore it is easier to fall ill again”.
How to defend yourself
“To defend yourself it is still useful to get vaccinated – recommends Landi – and it is important to protect the nose to try to maintain a higher temperature of the upper respiratory tract, adopting adequate clothing, for example with the use of scarves, or masks in more sensitive subjects Also important are a healthy and balanced diet and regular physical activity, associated with specific supplements, but always indicated by your doctor who will be able to suggest the right supplement, in the right dosage, based on your state of health – puts says past president Sigg, among the authors of a review on the subject, recently published in 'Clinics in Geriatric Medicine' – It can be of great help to take a mix of arginine and vitamin C daily. Arginine is an amino acid produced naturally by the body, which stimulates nitric oxide, a key enzyme for correct immune and vascular function. Vitamin C, on the other hand, thanks to a nanotechnology that optimizes its absorption without side effects, reduces oxidative stress and improves vascular remodeling with cascading beneficial effects on the entire organism”.
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